Applications & Forms

In Response to COVID-19

TRPA staff are available to assist customers via phone, email, and appointments. The agency is fully staffed and virtual services are continually improving to ensure customers receive helpful, personal, and timely service. If necessary, applicants can drop materials in a secure box at the TRPA office building.

Getting Started

TRPA’s goal is to offer customers outstanding service throughout the permit process and encourages property owners to plan for enough time to get all the necessary approvals in place before breaking ground. Our planners work to serve every applicant quickly and fairly and the agency is always looking for ways to improve call-back and permitting turn-around time.

If you are just getting started, please take a minute to review the Permit Process and Frequently Asked Questions pages. You can also call (775) 588-4547 to talk to a permit technician or schedule a call with a planner.

Helpful Tips

There are generally three levels of TRPA environmental review:

  1. Exempt Activities (No TRPA Environmental Review Required)
  2. Qualified Exempt Activities (Information and Application)
  3. Standard Application Review- Where To Apply

Site Assessments

Grading

Applications with the “@” symbol can be submitted online.

Apply Online

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 three cubic yards of soil 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 don’t require a permit include:

  • Residential home landscaping and gardening projects
  • Irrigation installation
  • Exempt residential fences up to 6 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 Season Exception @

Grading Project Application @

Site Winterization Guidelines

Historic

Applications with the “@” symbol can be submitted online.

Apply Online

Historic Resource Determination @

Scenic Assessments

Scenic Assessment for Shoreland and Shorezone Projects

Scenic Assessments Contrast Rating Sheet

Standards and Guidelines

Levels of Review in Shoreland Areas

TRPA Design Review Guidelines

TRPA Scenic Color Brochure
Applicants should only refer to the numeric Pantone colors listed in this brochure as digital and print reproduction of colors may vary.

Appendix H- Visual Assessment Tool (Fillable PDF)

Temporary Uses & Activities

Applications with the “@” symbol can be submitted online.

Apply Online

Temporary Uses Activities Structures @

Tourist Accommodations

Appeals, Requests, and Amendments

Applications with the “@” symbol can be submitted online.

Apply Online

Notice of Appeal Application @

Affidavit Form

Outsource Review Request Form

Petition for Expedited Review Forms

FOIA requests can now 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.