TRPA-backed bill would add Lake Tahoe 600-foot no-wake zone to Nevada law

Senators heard testimony on SB106 in Carson City, a bill sponsored by Senator Melanie Scheibel to amend Nevada law so it aligns with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s (TRPA) shoreline code and to add Lake Tahoe’s 600-foot no-wake zone to state boating statutes.

TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan told the Senate Committee on Natural Resources the agency’s 2018 shoreline plan retained a 600-foot no-wake buffer to protect safety, noise levels, water quality and nearshore habitat. She told the panel that because TRPA updated its code of ordinances, “our 600 foot no wake zone is not included in the Nevada state law guidebook. This causes confusion for the public about how to safely recreate on the lake.” The draft bill would update NRS 277.215 to reference current TRPA code sections and add the 600-foot restriction to NRS chapter 488.6.

Supporters said codifying the zone into state law would reduce confusion for boaters and strengthen coordination among TRPA, state and local law enforcement. Chief Scott Lindgren of Tahoe Douglas Fire, which operates a year‑round water-rescue vessel on the lake, said adding the zone would improve safety: “It’s gonna make it safer at the lake and safer for everybody if we can control where the paddle boarders and the swimmers and everybody is,” he said.

TRPA representatives described outreach and operational details used to help boaters comply. Devin Middlebrook, TRPA government affairs manager, said buoys currently mark the 200-foot zone at high-use locations (Sand Harbor, Cave Rock, Zephyr Cove) and TRPA operates a free boating app with GPS mapping to show the 600-foot no-wake area; the app is meant to help visitors navigate the rule where physical buoys are not placed. Regan said TRPA’s on-water teams focus on education and that law enforcement partners have ticketing authority when necessary.

Committee members asked about enforcement and public awareness. Senator Ellison asked whether officers issue citations similar to traffic tickets; local public-safety witnesses explained that enforcement often begins with education and signage, but law enforcement agencies (including NDOW and county sheriffs) and the U.S. Coast Guard may issue citations for serious or repeat infractions.

The Lake Tahoe Water Trail project manager Becky Bell testified in support on behalf of paddlers and land‑manager partners, calling no‑wake zones “a key component of our water safety education program” that helps new paddlers find safe access points, rest sites and facilities while protecting the lake from aquatic invasive species and hazards. TRPA said it coordinated the proposal with public-safety agencies, rental operators and shoreline owners; the agency is pursuing the same statutory alignment with California.

Sponsors and TRPA staff told the committee the bill is a technical and safety-focused cleanup rather than a new regulatory expansion: it updates statutory cross-references and explicitly places the 600-foot no-wake language in state boating law to reduce conflicting guidance. No callers testified in opposition during the hearing and the committee did not take a final vote.

Questions from senators highlighted public-access and property-rights issues along Tahoe’s shoreline. TRPA staff said roughly half of Lake Tahoe’s 70.2 miles of shoreline is now publicly owned (the agency will provide a breakdown by state on request) and explained that on Nevada’s side the public easement is defined lakeward of the historic low-water line (6,223 feet elevation); where lake elevation covers the low-water line, the public easement is underwater. TRPA and Nevada staff described land acquisitions as made over many decades through willing sellers and federal/state conservation funding rather than eminent domain.

The sponsors said they will follow up with the committee on technical questions about app functionality and buoy placement; the hearing record shows TRPA and local agencies emphasized education and interagency coordination to make the statutory language easier for the public and enforcement partners to use.