Defensible space in Salt Lake City
Tom Hanks, owner, 24/7 Express Handyman Service · Updated September 2026
24/7 Express Handyman Service clears defensible space in Salt Lake City. 30 feet around buildings is the minimum area USU Extension says to clear of excess brush and small trees. (Firewise Landscaping: The Basics | USU Extension Forestry) 4,225 feet is the elevation of the National Weather Service's official climate station at Salt Lake City International Airport, whose 1991-2020 climate normals record a January average low temperature of 24.2 degrees Fahrenheit and 12.7 inches of average January snowfall, with at least an inch of new snow falling on about 7.6 days in a typical January. (NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Monthly) — Salt Lake City Intl AP, UT) In the Salt Lake City & Millcreek zone, scheduled work is $95/hour with a 2-hour minimum and no dispatch fee, plus a $15 fuel surcharge.
How much does a defensible space job cost in Salt Lake City?
From $205
Defensible space in Salt Lake City starts at $205: the 2-hour minimum at $95/hour ($190) plus the $15 fuel surcharge, with no dispatch fee. Time past 2 hours is billed in 30-minute steps. Larger parts are billed at cost plus 25%.
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Salt Lake City & MillcreekAnswered 24/7 by Tom or his dispatcher.
Dispatch fee $199–$349 by time of day, due on arrival, covering the first hour on site. After that, $150/hour in 30-minute steps. Fuel surcharge $15. Supplies fee $50. Full price sheet and estimator
Typical arrival in the Salt Lake City & Millcreek zone: 60–90 minutes.
24/7 Express Handyman Service confirms the address, the zone rate and the dispatch fee, and takes a card, before rolling.
What 24/7 Express Handyman Service does on site
- Cuts dead grass, weeds and brush and rakes up leaf and needle litter in the first 30 feet around the house.
- Pulls bark mulch, dead plants and stored combustibles back from the foundation and swaps bark for gravel on request.
- Trims low, dead branches reachable from the ground or a short ladder and hauls all cut material away.
How it works
- The yard is walked with the homeowner, or reviewed from photos, to mark what stays, what goes and where debris is hauled.
- The cleanup is priced in writing.
- Work moves from the house outward: the first 5 feet, then out to 30 feet, then any extra area agreed on.
- Referred out: tree work near power lines or above ladder reach (arborist), pesticide or herbicide application, and irrigation backflow testing or repairs to the potable connection.
What happens next
- The written scope and price come first; photos of the cleared zones and a list of anything referred out follow the visit.
- Photograph the damage before anything is moved and keep every receipt; 24/7 Express Handyman Service provides an itemised invoice your insurer may ask for. The dispatch fee and job cost are paid by you on the day.
In Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City has an estimated 30,000 brick homes built before 1970 that the city classifies as unreinforced masonry construction, and its Fix the Bricks program provides financial assistance to retrofit these older homes against earthquake damage. (Salt Lake City's Fix the Bricks Program — SLC.gov Blog) A pilot 2016 grant of over $700,000 funded the retrofit of 29 Salt Lake City homes, while a 2019 grant of more than $5 million aims to retrofit another 200 homes. (Fix The Bricks! Fortifying Salt Lake City, Utah — FEMA Case Study)
Calls come from around University of Utah, Foothill Drive, Research Park, the benches, up by the U.
Every job 24/7 Express Handyman Service takes on is under $3,000 including labor, materials and any change orders (Utah Code §58-55-305); a change that would push a job over that line is referred to a licensed contractor, not written up as a second job. plumbing, electrical, HVAC, gas appliance / combustion system work is referred to a licensed trade.
Sources
- Firewise Landscaping: The Basics | USU Extension Forestry — retrieved 2026-09-23
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Monthly) — Salt Lake City Intl AP, UT — retrieved 2026-09-19
- Ask an Expert: Wildfire Safety Starts at Home | USU Extension — retrieved 2026-09-23
- Salt Lake City's Fix the Bricks Program — SLC.gov Blog — retrieved 2026-09-19
- Fix The Bricks! Fortifying Salt Lake City, Utah — FEMA Case Study — retrieved 2026-09-19