Moving to Truckee, CA?

Truckee regulates construction noise through its General Plan Noise Element (Chapter 4.9) and the Municipal Code. Many local HOAs (Glenshire-Devonshire) cap construction noise at 7 AM-7 PM Monday-Friday and 9 AM-7 PM weekends and federal holidays.

Truckee's General Plan Noise Element (Ch. 4.9) governs ambient noise standards Town-wide. Short-term rentals are subject to mandatory 10 PM-7 AM quiet hours under TMC Chapter 5.02, with daily fines up to $5,000 for violations.

Truckee imposes a 10% Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), an additional 2% Measure K assessment, and a 1.25% Truckee Tourism Business Improvement District (TTBID) assessment on all stays under 30 days. The TTBID rises to 2% on July 1, 2026.

Maximum occupancy at a Truckee short-term rental is two guests per bedroom plus two additional persons, excluding children under 13. Limits are enforced under TMC Chapter 5.02 with daily fines up to $5,000 for repeat violations.

Truckee Municipal Code Chapter 5.02 requires every short-term rental operator to obtain a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate from the Town's STR Division before advertising or renting a property for fewer than 30 days.

All STR guest vehicles must park on the rental's paved on-site parking; street parking and parking in unpaved areas are prohibited under TMC Chapter 5.02. The rule also dovetails with Truckee's winter parking ban (TMC 10.17.030).

All Truckee short-term rentals must observe quiet hours from 10 PM to 7 AM under TMC Chapter 5.02. Outdoor amplified music, hot-tub gatherings, and other noise that disturbs neighbors during quiet hours can trigger STR fines.

Truckee Fire Protection District Ordinance 02-2012 requires defensible space around every structure: a 0-5 ft ember-resistant Zone 0, a 5-30 ft lean-clean-and-green Zone 1, and a 30-100 ft reduced-fuel Zone 2. Inspections are mandatory at point-of-sale, before STR registration, and for building permit finals.

All fireworks - including "safe and sane" fireworks - are illegal throughout the Town of Truckee and the Truckee Fire Protection District. Possession, sale, or use is prohibited and confiscation is automatic.

Property owners must clear flammable vegetation within 100 feet of every structure under TFPD Ordinance 02-2012, implementing California Public Resources Code Section 4291.

Truckee adopts the 2025 California Residential and Fire Codes through TMC Chapter 15.01, which require working smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every floor, plus CO alarms outside each sleeping area.

Wood and charcoal fire pits are allowed only when TFPD has not declared restrictions. Gas-fueled fire pits with permanent gas lines or LP cylinders are allowed year-round on patios meeting clearance requirements.

TFPD Ordinance 04-2019 bans open burning, recreational fires, and charcoal BBQs during declared high fire conditions. Year-round, residential pile burning requires a TFPD permit and is only allowed in approved months when air quality permits issue.

Year-round street parking in Truckee is regulated under TMC Title 10. The winter parking ban (10.17.030) is the most strict, prohibiting any right-of-way parking November 1 - April 30 to allow snow removal.

TMC Section 10.17.030 prohibits parking on any Town road or right-of-way from November 1 through April 30. Vehicles obstructing snow removal may be ticketed and towed.

RVs, boats, and trailers may not be parked in the public right-of-way during the winter ban (TMC 10.17.030, Nov 1 - Apr 30). On private residential lots, storage is regulated through Development Code Chapter 18.30 setback and screening standards.

TMC Chapter 10.20 declares abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles a public nuisance subject to abatement. Section 10.20.060 governs the public nuisance determination and notice-of-intent process.

Truckee Development Code Section 18.30.070 governs fences, walls, and hedges. Residential fences and walls on parcels with an established land use are exempt from land use permit requirements but must still comply with height and setback standards.

Under DC 18.30.070, residential fences and walls on parcels with an established land use are exempt from land use permit requirements. Retaining walls and structural walls still require a building permit through TMC Title 15.

Under Truckee's animal services code (Title 8), it is unlawful to allow any dog to stray, run, or otherwise be at large in any public street, sidewalk, park, school ground, or other public place without consent of the property owner.

Feeding wildlife and leaving food, garbage, or other attractants accessible to bears is prohibited under Truckee's solid waste ordinance and California Fish & Game Code Section 251.3. Bear-resistant storage is required.

Truckee allows home occupations in residential zones subject to standards in Development Code Chapter 18.58. Operations must remain incidental to the residential use, generate no offensive impacts, and may not employ more than one non-resident.

Sheds and other residential accessory structures are regulated by Development Code Section 18.58.220. Under California Building Code as adopted in TMC Title 15, sheds 120 sq ft or less generally do not require a building permit but must still meet setbacks.

Truckee Development Code Section 18.58.025 (effective December 10, 2024) governs ADUs. Detached or attached ADUs up to 800 sq ft and 16 ft tall qualify for reduced 4-foot side and rear setbacks; larger ADUs follow the zoning district's standard setbacks.

Truckee Development Code Section 18.30.080 regulates grading and vegetation removal. Truckee's mountainous terrain makes erosion control and slope stability central to the Town's grading review.

Truckee prohibits storefront cannabis dispensaries. Only licensed cannabis delivery services are allowed under Development Code Section 18.58.075, which requires a Use Permit from the Planning Commission and a Town-issued Cannabis Delivery Service License.

California Health & Safety Code Section 11362.2 allows adults 21+ to cultivate up to 6 plants per residence indoors. Truckee permits indoor personal cultivation only; outdoor personal cultivation is prohibited within Town limits.

Truckee uses an automated SolarAPP+ portal to issue residential rooftop solar permits the same day. Systems must comply with the 2025 California Residential Code Sections R324 and R907, the 2022 California Electrical Code, and Truckee's Design Guidelines.

Under Development Code Chapter 18.54, temporary political signs are limited to 16 sq ft total per property in residential zones and 32 sq ft in non-residential zones. Signs may not be posted more than 60 days before an election and must be removed within 14 days after.

Truckee's amended solid waste ordinance requires animal-resistant bin enclosures (bear boxes), prohibits placing trash at the curb before 5:00 AM on collection day, and fines up to $1,000 for repeat violations.

Truckee's Development Code requires shielded, downward-directed exterior lighting for new construction and remodels, consistent with Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) standards inside the Tahoe Basin. The Town runs a Dark Sky Outdoor Lighting Rebate Program for retrofits.

Trash and recycling carts must be stored inside an animal-resistant enclosure between pickups, set out no earlier than 5:00 AM on collection day, and removed from the curb the same day.

Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal provides residential collection. Trash cannot be placed at the curb before 5:00 AM on collection day, and bear-resistant storage is required between collections.

Truckee Development Code Section 18.30.120 establishes how setbacks are measured and what projections are permitted. Specific setback distances vary by zoning district under DC Chapter 18.26.

Truckee Development Code Section 18.30.080 regulates grading and vegetation removal. Tree removal for defensible space under TFPD Ordinance 02-2012 is encouraged, while removal of significant trees outside defensible-space zones may require Town review.