Nevada side, Lake Tahoe
Zephyr Cove
The bay that names the area: a Forest Service resort and marina on the shore, with neighborhoods in the hills above.
About Zephyr Cove
Where it is
Zephyr Cove takes its name from the Washoe Zephyr, a wind long known around the lake. On the shore, about four miles north of Stateline on Highway 50, is Zephyr Cove Resort. It stands on National Forest land and is run under a Forest Service permit, with a lodge, marina, cabins, campground and stables. Day-use parking there carries a fee.
Behind the resort, several residential subdivisions climb the hills, each with its own improvement district or owners’ association.
History on the shore
The Zephyr Cove Property Owners Association owns a private beach parcel inside the Zephyr Cove Properties Historic District, where the original pier and buildings date to 1927. TRPA describes the district as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Services
Water comes from Douglas County’s Zephyr Cove water system. Neighborhood services are handled by general improvement districts, among them the Zephyr Cove, Zephyr Heights and Zephyr Knolls GIDs.
Around Zephyr Cove
Photographs: Tony Laurian.
Buying anywhere on the Nevada shore
These rules apply to Zephyr Cove and to every other neighborhood on this side of the lake.
Stormwater BMPs
Every developed property in the Tahoe Basin must install and maintain TRPA-approved stormwater Best Management Practices. Their status is disclosed to the buyer when a home sells.
TRPA: stormwater BMPs(opens in a new tab)Buoys, lifts and slips
Existing moorings must be registered and permitted with TRPA, and the registration is renewed each year. New moorings are allocated by lottery.
TRPA: shoreline program(opens in a new tab)Vacation rentals
Douglas County caps the number of vacation-rental permits in the Tahoe Township, limits their share of each neighborhood, and treats a permit as discretionary rather than a right. Association rules can add their own limits.
Douglas County: vacation rentals(opens in a new tab)Defensible space
Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District inspects defensible space around homes and offers consultations to owners.
Tahoe Douglas Fire: defensible space(opens in a new tab)
Sources
This guide is general background drawn from the public sources below, not a disclosure about any property. Rules, fees and services change, so confirm anything that matters with the district, association or agency before you rely on it.
Questions about Zephyr Cove?
Ask directly. A conversation will get you further than a page of description.