Saving Cabins - One Tree at a Time!

Brian Head is within the Dixie National Forest and the trees are federally owned. The town requires a Tree Removal Permit to remove any tree over 6 inches in diameter, measured at 5 feet above the ground. The permits help track removals, preserve the mountain environment, and document community wildfire prevention efforts that support future town funding and grants. 

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Applying for a Tree Removal Permit:

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DEAD & DOWN: You may apply for a tree removal permit to remove dead and downed trees (helps with fire safety and WUI Code requirements) before you have a building permit or engineered plans. This may include limbing-up your trees - removing the branches ~6 feet up from the ground (optional - esp. around property edges). 

To remove living trees, you generally need to have engineered plans or a building permit approved by the town.

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How to Apply for a Tree Permit in Brian Head: 

1. Go to the Brian Head Town Website https://brianheadtown.utah.gov/

2. Find Drop-Down menu “Forms & Permits” & Click on “Building / Land Use / Grading & Tree Permits”

3. Click on the link brianhead.cityinspect.com & Create City Inspect Account 

4. Log-In, Select Building Permit, Apply for a New Permit & complete to the best of your knowledge

5. Create a Site Plan

   1. • Go to Iron County Parcel Map Here

      • Find your parcel & take a screenshot including the property boundary (on mac: Command + Shift + 4)

      • Edit the screenshot, outline/circle the project area

      • Create a new document (google/word) Title it:  "Tree Removal Permit Comments & Site Plan"

      • At the top: Type the date, your name and property address,

      • Next: "Comments: [The service/action plan for your property, additional comments, if any]. Thanks!" 

      • Then: "Site Plan" and insert the screenshot of your property with the edited area of service

      • Attach this document as a pdf to both *site plan* & *comments* sections on the permit application/cityinspect (One way to convert a doc to a pdf on mac is to select print (command + shift + p), click more settings, scroll to the bottom, click open pdf in preview, then save it to your computer as a pdf) 

6. Check mark all boxes 

7. Submit Permit Application 

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Click Here to print a copy of the Tree Permit Checklist for Brian Head

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*Town codes, permits, and processes are always changing, you may use this list as a guide, but please verify with your local municipality to be sure you are submitting a complete application. Thanks!

Healthy fruit starts with healthy pruning. We shape, thin, and care for Southern Utah’s cherry, apricot, apple, peach, pomegranate and other fruit trees for better harvests year after year.  

In April, Cedar City holds a 3 week Spring Clean-Up event where homeowners can pile tree trimmings and branches at the curb and the city public works will drive by to pick them up and take them to the Iron County Landfill.  Call us today and claim your spot on this upcoming Spring Clean-Up Schedule! This saves time and dump fees. 

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Click Here to see Cedar City's 2025 Spring Clean-Up Schedule (for reference)

Accessible, Defensible Space for Fire Safety

In Southern Utah many towns are part of and follow the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Code, which sets standards for how properties should be maintained to reduce wildfire risk. A key part of this is creating and maintaining defensible space—clearing or thinning trees, trimming branches, and removing dead and down wood near structures. By following WUI guidelines, property owners not only protect their homes and cabins, but also help safeguard surrounding forests and communities. Our team specializes in tree removal, trimming, and fire mitigation work to help your property both stay code-compliant and wildfire-ready.

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In many cases WUI compliance is required before you can build and must be maintained year after year around your home or cabin.  
 

• Strategic thinning to reduce fuel loads

• Removing dead, diseased, or hazardous trees

• Limbing up lower branches to prevent fire spread

• Clearing brush, scrub oak, and ladder fuels

• Spacing trees for healthier growth and fire breaks

• Chipping or hauling away debris

• Creating defensible space zones around homes and cabins

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(Pictured above) Our crew is clearing burnt trees from the 2017 Brian Head Fire near a future cabin site. 

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Depending on the size and location of your property, the recommended fire-break defensible space between your structure and the nearest tree limb is 30ft. 

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Click Here to view the "2006 Utah Wildland-Urban Interface Code" Document​

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Click Here to view the "Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands" Website​

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​Click Here to view Utah State University's "Landscaping in the Utah Wildland-Urban Interface" Website​​​​​

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