Pile Guidelines

Piles must be stacked by 8 a.m. on the Monday of your neighborhood's designated chipping week (view the Chipping Fact Sheet/Schedule) so that our chipping crews can record all pile locations and plan their routes for that week. Chipping and collection will take place throughout your designated week. Improperly stacked piles, and any piles stacked after 8 a.m. on Monday, may not be identified or collected.

• Stack piles neatly (no bags); place trunks and branches perpendicular to the road, large ends facing the road, small ends facing your property.
• Place piles within 5 feet of the roadway, but not touching the road or in drainage ditches.
• Viewed from the road, maximum pile size is 5 feet high, 5 feet wide; maximum length of individual trunks and branches is 10 feet.
• Maximum number of piles for each property is 10 piles.*
• Do not combine piles with neighbors' piles or place piles in other neighborhoods.
• After crews have removed your pile, clear away any remaining branches, needles and debris.

* For larger-scale defensible space projects, call us at 970-668-4140 to inquire  about a Hazardous Fuels Reduction Grant, or visit www.SummitCountyCO.gov/wildfiregrants.

Materials Guidelines

Accepted materials include trees, logs and branches up to 12 inches in diameter, free of nails and wire. The following restrictions apply: 

• No willow or cottonwood: Willow and cottonwood have high moisture content, so they help to slow the spread of fire. They also clog our chipping equipment because they are very fibrous.
• No construction or building materials, treated lumber, fence posts or signs. 
• No rotten wood, root wads, stumps, dirt, rocks, or shrubs: These items clog and damage our chipping equipment.
• No grass clippings, trash, weeds or bags of leaves.