Lake Tahoe Mooring Lottery and Updates

Buoy Tags Now, Smooth Sailing Later

Image: Shoreline Compliance Inspector Brenden Phillips checks buoy tags to confirm registration and match their location with the GIS coordinates on record. 

Complete this request form to relace a lost or damaged buoy tag. You can also check the status of your mooring registration at LakeTahoeInfo.org/moorings. Take the time now to get ready to hit the water in 2026.

Mooring Lottery Opens October 1

Beginning October 1, eligible lakefront owners can submit entries for new moorings, such as buoys and boat lifts, to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency for the sixth lottery allowed under the Lake Tahoe Shoreline Plan. A mooring lottery will be conducted annually to distribute a limited number of new allocations for moorings until the maximum capacity is reached.

Entries for the lottery can be submitted online anytime from October 1 through 5 pm PST on November 14, 2025. All eligible submissions received before the deadline will be considered equally. TRPA will review submissions as they are received and conduct a lottery drawing if the number of eligible entries exceeds the number of available allocations.

Only shoreline properties that adjoin the high-water line of Lake Tahoe are eligible to apply. Applicants are reminded that for single-family parcels, the maximum number of moorings allowed is two, which includes existing moorings. Homeowners' associations with existing buoy fields may be eligible for up to one mooring per residential unit.

Applicants should be aware that the lottery drawing is for an allocation only. If an allocation is received, a complete project application showing that all TRPA requirements can be met is required before the mooring can be permitted.