Lake Tahoe TRPA Coverage and STR Permit Report

How much of the Tahoe Basin can still be built on, how much room the homes for sale have left, and how many short-term rental permits each county has issued. Rebuilt from TRPA's parcel data, the county permit registries and the MLS.

By Murat Gocmen and Kristina Mattson, Brokers, Real Estate Tahoe · Updated September 28, 2026

In one paragraph: Real Estate Tahoe's analysis of TRPA's parcel data finds that 54% of the Lake Tahoe Basin's 61,238 parcels already carry more impervious coverage than TRPA estimates they are allowed, and 46% have room to add some. Of the 561 homes for sale we could match to a single TRPA parcel, 310 are over their allowance and 248 have room to add (a median of 1,220 sq ft). County registries show 3,399 active short-term rental permits in Placer County, 683 in Washoe County and 560 in Douglas County's Tahoe neighborhoods. 132 homes for sale hold one, and no Tahoe jurisdiction transfers a permit to the buyer.
54%
of 61,238 Basin parcels over TRPA's coverage estimate
55%
of 561 Basin homes for sale over their allowance
1,220 sq ft
median coverage left on homes for sale that have room
4,642
active STR permits in Placer, Washoe and Douglas
132
homes for sale with a county STR permit on file

Land coverage by jurisdiction

Coverage is the share of a lot that can be covered by roofs, decks, driveways and other hard surfaces. TRPA sets the allowance parcel by parcel. "Over" means TRPA's estimate of the existing coverage is larger than its estimate of the allowance.

JurisdictionTownsParcelsOver allowanceRoom to addMedian room (sq ft)
Douglas CountyStateline, Zephyr Cove, Glenbrook6,32081%18%434
Washoe CountyIncline Village, Crystal Bay9,41469%31%1,056
City of South Lake TahoeSouth Lake Tahoe14,96955%44%731
Placer CountyTahoe City, Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista, Carnelian Bay, Homewood15,64947%52%1,050
El Dorado CountyMeyers, Tahoma, Meeks Bay14,83937%63%1,058
Carson CityBasin portion4726%74%32,225

Short-term rental permits by county

Counts come from the county registries we sync. Caps and waitlists for South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County and Truckee, which don't publish a registry we can count, are tracked on our STR permit availability page.

CountyActive permitsCapHomes for sale with oneData as of
Eastern Placer County (Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Olympic Valley, Northstar)3,3993,90076Sep 26, 2026
Washoe County (Incline Village, Crystal Bay)683No cap30Sep 22, 2026
Douglas County (Tahoe neighborhoods)560600 in the Tahoe Township, plus a cap in each neighborhood (12 of 40 full)26Sep 26, 2026

What it means

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Method: coverage figures are TRPA's own per-parcel estimates from its public parcel data (remote sensing plus Bailey and IPES land capability), loaded August 2026. They are not a Land Capability Verification; confirm any parcel on TRPA's Parcel Tracker. Homes for sale are active and pending MLS listings in Basin towns, matched to a single TRPA parcel by address (561 of 967 matched). Permit counts are active permits in Placer County's public registry, Washoe County's short-term rental report and Douglas County's vacation home rental map. Truckee, Olympic Valley and Northstar sit outside the Tahoe Basin, so TRPA coverage doesn't apply there.