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Sonoma County Chipper Program

Accepting Reservations for Chipper Program 2026

Approving your chip request requires meeting all guidelines below.
Make a reservation after confirming your piles meet all program guidelines.

Refer to the County Zones Map below and make note of which zone you are in for your reservation.

Questions?
Email: Chipper@sonomacounty.gov

The Sonoma County Fire Prevention Division of Permit Sonoma provides free chipping to residents who are engaged in making their properties more wildfire safe. The purpose of the program is to create defensible space, specifically around the home, structures, and access routes to the structures, for properties located in the unincorporated areas of Sonoma County.

Limbs from trees or brush that can go in your pile:

Freshly cut and stacked materials.

Limbs no more than 10-feet long.

Limbs at least 1-inch thick and no more than 4-inches in diameter.

Chip requests containing any contents listed below are denied. The Chipper Crew will request a pile fix. A new reservation is required.

No nails, wires, or any metal pieces.	No Scotch or French Broom or Gorse.
No roots or stumps.	No construction-type wood (fence posts, 2x4s, etc.).
No Poison Oak/Ivy, Coyote Brush or other poisonous species.	No rocks, dirt, mud, etc.
No vines or materials entangled with vines.	No rakings or piles of needles, leaves, grass, etc.
No Oleander	No fire debris, burned logs, branches, or trees from past fires.
No Bamboo or fibrous materials such as palm tree fronds.	No firewood or logs cut into wood rounds.
No spiny plants or trees with thorns (roses, blackberries, thorny fruit trees, etc.).	No wood older than a year; no rotten wood.

Approved Pile Locations are no more than 10-feet from:

Your driveway (unless going up a very steep slope).
The roadway (if crew can work safely and without need for additional signage or road closure permit).
Do not put piles within 10-feet of power poles.
Crew will not work around obstructions. Chip Request will be denied. Crew will ask resident move piles. A new reservation is required after piles are moved.
Piles placed more than 10-feet from road or driveway will be denied. Crew will request resident move piles located in fields, stables, orchards, etc. A new reservation is required after piles are fixed.
The chipper and truck must be able to get to a place they can turn around.

Required Pile Stacking

Stack piles with the cut ends lined up and facing the same direction, pointing towards the driveway or roadway. (The crew drives truck and chipper along the length of the pile, pulling limbs and chipping.)
Stack piles no more than 3-feet tall.
Stack piles no more than 10-feet wide (deep).
Stack piles no more than 50-feet long.
Burn or debris piles are denied. Crew will request pile fix. A new reservation is required after fix is completed.

Chipped Materials

All material chipped will be blown back onto the property in a place the crew deems practical and safe. The resident is responsible for spreading out the piles of chips.

This program does not pick-up and remove chips.

Please note, the crew has the right to deny chipper service when a request or service area is outside the scope of the program or does not meet the guidelines.

Chipper Program 2026 - County Zones Map

2026 Chipper Zone Map

Schedule your Reservation for a Chip Visit

Proceed to the Reservation Scheduler:

https://www.chipperday.com/SonomaCountyFP