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Mooring Buoys
The new shorezone rules include a comprehensive program for
mooring buoys that enhances recreation and provides long-term solutions to the
impact of boats and mooring buoys on all lakes of the Tahoe Region. Public feedback has consistently cited the need for increased enforcement of buoy permitting and placement. TRPA is addressing this important issue with a stepped-up mooring and watercraft enforcement program and by working with state agencies to register permitted buoys and actively remove all unregistered moorings. New annual fees for buoy permits are part of this self-funded program. If your questions are not answered below, please refer to the TRPA Contacts at right for more information.
I received a notice in the mail. What do I do next?
Why are fees being required now?
What do I do if I know my buoy(s) were permitted by TRPA?
What do I do if I have a State Lands lease or a U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers permit but don't have a TRPA permit?
What do I do if I don't have any documentation for my buoy or buoys but
they have been in the lake for many years?
I'm not sure whether or not I have a TRPA permit. Don't you have
that information?
Are BMPS required to get a mooring permit?
What is a mooring chain/rode maintenance report?
How will TRPA know which moorings in the Lake have been permitted?
Are any of the fees or processes different for HOAs and public marina buoy fields?
Q: I received a notice in the mail. What do I do next?
A: Information packets and application forms are available on this page and at TRPA offices to guide buoy owners through the process of registering and permitting existing buoys. TRPA will begin processing applications and
recognizing existing TRPA permits January 5, 2009. While no deadlines for permitting have been set, our objective is to have all mooring buoys in Lake Tahoe come under a TRPA permit or be removed by 2010.
Owners of existing moorings should plan to apply or have their TRPA permit
recognized as early in 2009 as possible to ensure their mooring buoy and anchor
are not removed before they can be permitted and issued registration stickers.
If you have an existing TRPA permit for your buoys, please see instructions below.
Q: I have had my buoy for many years and never paid fees or needed a TRPA permit. Why are
fees being required now?
A: TRPA is required to regulate all land use and development in the Tahoe Region to protect Tahoe's unique natural resources. Since the first Regional Plan was adopted in 1972, all mooring buoys have required a TRPA permit and many existing moorings are already under a TRPA permit. However, inconsistencies in the rules and the lack of enforcement resources allowed most buoys to remain unregulated by the Agency.
For more than 20 years, TRPA has worked with other agencies and the public to finally resolve the inconsistencies and bring forward a program with real solutions and much-needed protections. The new ordinances took effect December 22, 2008 and all existing moorings need to conform with updated rules.
Several agencies have jurisdiction and permit or lease requirements which all mooring buoys need to meet. TRPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits are required in all lakes of the Region. Any buoy in California requires a lease from the California State Lands Commission and in Nevada from the Nevada Division of State Lands. A TRPA permit does not replace the requirements or fees of other agencies. Multiple layers of jurisdiction at Lake Tahoe are a reality that reflects the special importance of this place for constituents in both states as well as the nation.
In most cases, for TRPA to issue a mooring buoy permit either a valid, approved lease from the appropriate state land agency or a valid, current permit from the Army Corps of Engineers is required. See Pre-1972 Grandfathered Buoys for more information.
Q: The buoy rules state that I need water quality BMPs completed and
certified on the landward portion of my property in order to get a buoy permit. How do I know if I have a certificate and what do I do if don't have one?
A: You can apply for a buoy permit without a BMP Certificate of Completion, but TRPA must receive a copy of your BMP certificate within 12 months of the date of permit issuance. BMPs are Best Management Practices for erosion control designed to keep pollutants like fine sediment from entering Lake Tahoe. Information about BMPs and the status of your property are available at (www.tahoebmp.org/).
BMPs are required on all developed parcels in the Tahoe
Region to help protect our famous water clarity. All deadlines have expired for installing BMPs, so a Certificate of Completion will be required before TRPA can finalize your buoy registration. If you already have a BMP Completion Certificate, you should submit a copy with your application to help speed your application through.
Q: What is a mooring chain/rode maintenance statement?
(Click here) for the Buoy Registration and Biennial Maintenance Form.
A: A form is available here and at the TRPA office for mooring owners to complete and submit with any fees that are due every two years. To renew buoy registration, you must ensure that mooring tackle, also called rode, has been inspected and any necessary maintenance has been completed. The inspection and maintenance is required every two years and can be completed by the owner or a professional, but only the owner needs to certify the maintenance.
Annual fees for each mooring are part of the new ordinances. The fees will be used to fund the TRPA Watercraft Enforcement Program and to remove unpermitted buoys. To streamline the process for submitting annual fees, two installments will be due every two years along with the mooring chain/rode maintenance reports. After the initial form and fees are submitted, mooring registration renewal and maintenance form will be sent by mail to the primary address listed on tax assessor's records.
Q: How will TRPA know which moorings in the Lake have been permitted?
A: Once your existing TRPA mooring permit has been recognized or your first
permit is issued, you will receive a registration sticker valid for two years
for each mooring. The stickers will have an individual identification
number linked to a database which TRPA Watercraft Enforcement staff can
easily identify.
Our goal is to have all existing mooring buoys in Lake Tahoe either
registered with TRPA or removed by 2010.
Q: What do I do if I have a State Lands lease or a U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers permit but don't have a TRPA
permit?
A: You need to submit a new mooring application to TRPA. The
application has detailed instructions on buoy guidelines. Either a valid,
current state lands lease or a valid, approved U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
permit is required for TRPA to issue a buoy permit. (Click here) to download the TRPA Buoy Application
Q: What do I do if I don't have any documentation for my buoy or buoys but
they have been in the lake for many years?
A: Owners of existing mooring buoys not permitted by TRPA need to submit an
application to the Agency in 2009. Moorings placed in Lake Tahoe before February 10, 1972
without proof of authorization may be considered grandfathered; however, additional application review fees may be applied to recover extra costs for staff or legal review of evidence provided.
Here are some possible options for providing clear evidence:
Grandfathering letter from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Pre-1972 Aerial photographs:
- Can be viewed at the U.S. Forest Service office in South Lake Tahoe.
- Can be viewed at the TRPA office in Stateline, NV
- Can be requested through CalTRANS Office of Photogrammetry
- Can be searched for on the Internet and Google Earth
- Variable results since photographic surveys were not intended to show buoys
Pre-1972 tax assessor records (handwritten or drawn and dated)
Pre-1972 point-of-sale records
Affidavits may be considered in addition to other documentation, but not as stand-alone evidence.
TRPA does not limit applicants on the type of documentation provided.
Priority for application processing is given to property owners who have not placed buoys without authorization from an appropriate agency. Lack of pre-1972 evidence means that your initial application to TRPA will be considered a new mooring. New mooring applications that would create a total buoy inventory in Lake Tahoe more than 4,454 will not be processed by TRPA until implementation of the (Blue Boating Program), expected in 2010. Pending litigation may also affect TRPA’s ability to accept applications for new moorings.
Buoy owners who do obtain a TRPA permit, whether for a grandfathered or a new mooring buoy, also need to obtain a valid lease from the appropriate state land agency and valid permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Under certain circumstances, buoy owners claiming pre-1972 grandfather permitting may be required by TRPA to have either a current, valid lease from the appropriate state land agency or a current, valid permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before approval of a permit.
The sequence of multi-agency permitting for pre-1972 grandfathered buoys first requires submittal of a buoy permit application to TRPA. A lease application to California or Nevada state land agencies can be made concurrently or subsequently to submittal of the TRPA permit application. However, state lease applications will not be acted on until approval of the TRPA permit. A permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cannot be submitted to the Corps until final approval of a TRPA buoy permit.
Please use the contact links on the right of this page to find more information.
Q: I'm not sure whether or not I have a TRPA permit. Don't you have
that information?
A: There are two ways to verify if your moorings were permitted by TRPA.
TRPA files can easily be searched for free by you or your agent from our website under
(Parcel
Information Searches). Enter your property information and you will know if
there are any files on your property. Instructions are also there to send
an email request for file viewing to our records technicians. Once they
have the property information and file numbers you want to view, you will be
notified when the files are available for you or your representative to view at
our office.
Another option available is for TRPA staff to search and officially verify the existence of a TRPA mooring or buoy permit.
(click here) to Request TRPA Verification of Mooring Permits.
This form and $50 filing fee allows TRPA staff to assist property owners with existing moorings to search archive files for buoy and mooring permits issued by the Agency. TRPA has identified many properties with existing TRPA mooring permits, but some moorings on Lake Tahoe were permitted by TRPA as a part of other, dissimilar projects, which limits the ability of database searches.
Q: What do I do if I know my buoy(s) were permitted by TRPA?
A: Even existing TRPA permits for mooring buoys must be recognized in the initial phase of the new shorezone ordinance. No application filing fees will be required to recognize your buoy, only the first two installments of the new annual mooring fees along with a current mooring chain/rode maintenance report.
(Click here) for the Registration Form for TRPA-Permitted Moorings.
All you need to get started are your original permit documents. Submit copies of signed, acknowledged TRPA permit documents with specific reference to all moorings and/or TRPA-stamped plans.
You can also submit the results of a (TRPA Verification of Mooring Permits)
To search TRPA files for your mooring permit, send an email to (filerequest@trpa.org).
In the subject line write: Buoy Permit, APN# (your APN).
Include in the body of the email:
Your name
Property information including APN and address
The best contact information for you or your representative.
You will be contacted when the requested files are ready to view at our office in Stateline, NV.
Q: Are any of the fees or processes different for Homeowner and Property
Owner Associations or for marinas?
A: All existing moorings need to be permitted by TRPA or have their existing permit recognized, but application fees are different. HOA and similar association mooring fields are considered private, so the annual mooring fee of
$175 applies to each mooring allowed within the association property boundary. For marina buoy fields, the annual fee is $100 per mooring.
If the association or marina mooring field does not have an existing TRPA permit, application filing fees apply but are reduced to $500 per mooring up to three, and $250 for each additional mooring applied for greater than three.
Also, the additional buoy mitigation fee of $500 per mooring does not apply to Homeowner
Association or marina mooring field buoy permits.
HOA members and managers and marinas should keep in mind that a BMP Certificate showing completion of Best Management Practices for erosion control will be required as a follow-up condition of the buoy field permit. BMPs are property improvements designed to keep pollutants like fine sediment from entering Lake Tahoe. BMPs were required to be complete on all properties in the Tahoe Region by certain deadlines. All deadlines have passed and properties are now due. Information about BMPs and the status of your property are available at (www.tahoebmp.org/).
BMPs are required on all developed parcels in the Tahoe
Region to help protect our famous water clarity. All deadlines have expired for installing BMPs, so a completion certificate will be required in order to fully comply with TRPA buoy rules.
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