Applications & Forms

Getting Started

Many activities and projects within the Lake Tahoe Region require both a Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) environmental review permit and a separate building permit from the applicable County or City. Typically, for projects requiring TRPA environmental review, a TRPA application will need to be submitted and approved before final approval of a local agency building permit.

Some local jurisdictions within Tahoe can review and issue a TRPA determination or permit on behalf of TRPA. See the “Where to Apply” fact sheet to learn more.

If you are just getting started, please take a minute to review the Permitting Process and Frequently Asked Questions pages.

Helpful Tips

There are generally four categories of TRPA environmental review:

  1. Exempt Activities – No TRPA review or approval required.
  2. Qualified Exempt Activities – Information and declaration form required.
  3. Minor Applications – Expedited review for simple and routine projects.
  4. Standard Project Applications – See application packets below by category.

Need Assistance? We’re here to help. To speak with a permitting technician, call 775-589-5333, email trpa@trpa.gov, or schedule an appointment.

Tree Removal & Defensible Space

Apply Online

Tree Removal

Information and Resources

When is a tree removal permit needed?
Living with Fire (homeowner wildfire preparedness guide)

Grading & Earth Moving

Apply Online

Grading Season Exceptions will be available to submit online starting October 7, 2024. We will begin reviewing and issuing determinations starting October 10, 2024.

Grading and digging season for permitted projects at Lake Tahoe is from May 1 through October 15. Grading projects are confined to drier months to protect Lake Tahoe’s water quality from sources of erosion and sediment that harm water quality.

Activities that disturb soil are limited seasonally because that’s historically when most of the Tahoe Region’s precipitation occurs. Working in dry conditions prevents loose soil and mud from washing away from project sites and into streams and ultimately Lake Tahoe. Not all digging requires a permit.

Homeowners can move up to ten cubic yards of soil on non-sensitive lands (grading season only) and three cubic yards on sensitive lands or off season provided the activity is completed within a 48-hour period, the excavation or grading is not a part of a larger permitted project, and the excavation site is stabilized to prevent erosion. Projects that typically do not require a permit include:

  • Residential home landscaping and gardening projects
  • Irrigation installation
  • Exempt residential fences up to six feet in height
  • Spring cleaning of permanent BMPs (Best Management Practices) www.tahoebmp.org

Projects that create or relocate land coverage require a TRPA permit.

Grading & Excavation
Driveway/Parking Area Paving 
Underground Tank Removal
Grading Season Exception

Information and Resources

Sample BMP & Grading Plan
Site Winterization Guidelines
Standard Conditions of Approval – Grading (Attachment Q)

Appeals, Requests, and Amendments

Apply Online

Notice of Appeal Application
Affidavit Form
Outsource Review Request Form
Minor Applications
Bundled Applications
Petition for Expedited Review Forms
Pre-Application Consultation Request

Public Records Requests should be submitted online via Accela Citizen’s Access. Login or Create an Account, choose Create Application and select “FOIA-subpoena” from the list. For this particular application, no parcel number or address is necessary but can be included if it is relevant to the request. Owner information is required.