South Lake Tahoe HOA Guide

Tahoe Keys HOA Guide: Lagoons, Weeds and the Water Company

Tahoe Keys is a waterfront community of about 1,530 homes and townhomes in the City of South Lake Tahoe, built in the 1960s around lagoons that open onto Lake Tahoe. Most homes have a dock out the back door.

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Watercolor illustration of Tahoe Keys in South Lake Tahoe, California: waterfront homes with private boat docks along a calm lagoon. — Illustration of Tahoe Keys

The Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association, organized in November 1963, does more than most associations. It runs its own drinking water company, manages about 170 acres of lagoons, maintains the outside of every townhome and has spent decades fighting aquatic weeds under the eyes of two regulators. This independent guide explains who does what.

Facts on this page were checked against the association’s public web pages, Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency records and state environmental filings on October 10, 2026. Most of the association’s rules, fees and governing documents are behind an owner login, so this page does not describe them. Confirm details with the association. For city rules on vacation rentals, snow, bears, defensible space and tree permits, see the South Lake Tahoe HOA Guide. Sources are listed at the bottom of the page.

At a glance

Tahoe Keys at a glance

Tahoe Keys Property Owners AssociationThe association describes itself as a mutual-benefit nonprofit corporation organized in November 1963. Its office is at the Pavilion, 356 Ala Wai Boulevard.

About 1,530 homesThe association says 1,528 member units: about 1,193 single-family homes and 335 townhomes. The regional water board’s 2014 order says 1,529.

LagoonsThe water board’s order counts three lagoons totaling 172 acres. The association describes eleven miles of inland waterways.

Seven directorsVolunteer owners serving two-year terms, with elections every August and monthly meetings, according to the association.

Its own water companyThe Tahoe Keys Water Company, a state-regulated public water system with three wells and a fourth under construction in 2026.

Two regulators on the waterThe Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) both regulate what goes into the lagoons.

The association’s about page says it has roughly twenty year-round employees and more than fifty in summer. A management company has announced that it manages the association, and the association posted a notice of its move from self-management to professional management.

The association does not publish its assessment amounts on a public page, so we do not quote one. Ask the association or your escrow officer for the current budget and assessment.

What the association runs

The association’s public pages list what it provides: common areas, the lagoons, drinking water, security patrols and CC&R enforcement.

The PavilionThe clubhouse and administrative office.

PoolsAn outdoor pool and a fully enclosed 25-meter indoor pool with two outdoor spas. Pools and tennis need an owner access card.

BeachesTwo private beaches, one at the Pavilion and one behind a gate on Venice Drive.

Courts and playSeven lighted tennis courts, four pickleball courts, basketball, beach volleyball and a playground.

On the waterThe Pavilion pier, association boat docks and the East and West channels to the lake.

CommitteesA 2024 board agenda lists Finance, Architectural Control, Townhome Oversight, Rules and Enforcement and Lifestyle committees. The association site also names a Waterways committee.

Some things in the Keys are not the association’s. The Tahoe Keys Marina is a separate business. The association’s own 2018 water quality plan says the City of South Lake Tahoe owns and operates the storm drain system and the city-owned roads. An association post says the South Tahoe Public Utility District owns the sewer system.

Who owns the water under your boat

It is easy to assume the association owns the lagoons. The water board’s 2014 order describes something more complicated, and it matters whenever there is work to pay for.

Main Lagoon, 110 acresReached by the West Channel. About 700 private owners, plus association common area.

Marina Lagoon, 32 acresReached by the East Channel. Owned by the Tahoe Keys Marina, the association (common area), the Tahoe Keys Beach and Harbor Association and the California Tahoe Conservancy.

Lake Tallac Lagoon, 30 acresConnects through Pope Marsh. One major private owner, about 120 other private owners and association common area.

DocksTRPA counted about 900 private docks in the lagoons in 2022.

BanksThe association’s 2018 plan says owners must keep lagoon banks free of debris and get Architectural Control Committee approval before disturbing them.

We could not find a public association document that says who repairs a single-family lot’s bulkhead or dock, so we do not state it. If you are buying, ask for that answer in writing, and ask what your lot line includes below the water.

What to do about it: Who Pays for Repairs in an HOA? and Buying a House in an HOA? Here’s What You Need to Know.

Townhome coves

About 335 of the homes are townhomes, in what the association’s 2018 plan counts as 12 townhouse subdivisions. Its public pages use names such as Cove 1 through Cove 5, Islanders 1, 2 and 3 and Tahoe Marina Shores.

Who maintains the buildingsThe association maintains townhouse building exteriors and the landscaping around them, and oversees the contracts.

Cove AdvisorsEach townhouse subdivision has a volunteer Cove Advisor.

Separate projectsThe association posts projects cove by cove. In 2026 these included roofing at Coves 3A, 3B and 3C and a utility and parking lot upgrade at Islander 2.

Cove docksIn April 2026 the association said the board had approved straightening and re-driving cove dock pilings, with no vessels at a cove dock until that cove is cleared.

Nothing we read describes the coves as separate legal associations. They appear to be subdivisions inside the one association, each with its own project list. For a townhome owner, that raises the question to ask before buying: how are the costs for my cove’s roofs, siding, docks and parking lot budgeted and reserved, and are they shared across all members or charged to the cove?

The Tahoe Keys Water Company

Most associations buy water from a city or a district. Tahoe Keys supplies its own through the Tahoe Keys Water Company, which the state regulates as a public water system. That makes the board responsible for wells, treatment and water quality reporting on top of everything else.

The wellsThree wells, drilled in 1961, 1972 and 1983, according to a 2016 association letter to the water board.

2021: uraniumThe association told owners that one well tested at 36 parts per billion on July 2, 2021 against a limit of 30, and that another had been shut under a state citation. The board approved temporary treatment units and restricted irrigation that year.

2022: the long viewAn association post said all three wells were running at reduced capacity, called the treatment a stop-gap, said metered usage was coming and discussed joining a neighboring water system as one option.

2026: Well 4The city reviewed a new 2,000 gallon-per-minute well on association land on Ala Wai Boulevard, with a well building and about 6,500 feet of new water line. The association posted a drilling schedule in April 2026 and closed the basketball court and tennis parking lot for construction.

September 2026The association reported an emergency water shut-off on September 24, 2026 that affected the indoor pool and four coves, with service restored that afternoon.

We could not confirm from public pages whether residential meters have been installed, what the current watering schedule is or where consolidation with a neighboring system stands. The association has published different irrigation schedules over the years, so use the one it sends you, not an old post.

For any board, the lesson is about reserves and risk. A well, a treatment plant and miles of pipe are assets with a lifespan, and when one fails the association cannot wait for a budget cycle. For buyers, it is one more reason to read the reserve study.

What to do about it: Understanding HOA Reserve Studies, How to Hire a Contractor for Your Homeowners Association and The Ins and Outs of HOA Insurance.

Aquatic weeds: what happened and what is next

Invasive weeds are the issue Tahoe Keys is known for around the lake. TRPA said in 2022 that weeds covered more than 90% of the lagoons in summer. The water board says weed control here began in the 1970s. Here is the recent history as the agencies tell it:

2014The water board’s order allowed bottom barriers on up to five acres at a time and no herbicides.

2018Bubble curtains began going in across the channels to keep weed fragments from reaching the lake, according to the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

January 2022The water board and TRPA approved the Control Methods Test: a three-year trial on 41.5 acres comparing herbicides, ultraviolet light, aeration, bottom barriers and diver removal.

Spring and summer 2022Herbicides were applied once, in late May, on 16.9 acres. The association closed the test areas to boats, swimmers and paddlers under an emergency rule, with the last area reopening September 23, 2022.

What the test foundA draft final report prepared for the association in April 2025 said each of the two herbicides cut the target weed by about 75%, ultraviolet light reached 65% to 75% in later years, bottom barriers worked only while in place and aeration did not reduce the weeds.

November 2024An El Dorado County Superior Court judge granted a petition challenging the approvals.

May 13, 2025The water board vacated its environmental certification and its exemption for pesticide use, and ended the test’s discharge permit.

What comes next is not settled. The association’s waterways site describes plans for 2025 through 2028: apply for a permit for large-scale treatment, complete a new environmental review and keep harvesting and containing weeds in the meantime. The League to Save Lake Tahoe wrote in December 2025 that the partners were designing a long-term plan and a 2026 containment project. We found no new permit filing when we checked.

The association has funded this work partly through a special assessment. It told owners in January 2022 that TRPA’s approval triggered the third payment of its Water Quality Special Assessment, $600 per property. Ask for the current status of that assessment and any planned ones before you buy or budget.

There is a lesson here for boards far from Lake Tahoe. A multi-year project that depends on outside permits can be undone in court after the money is spent. Build the legal and permitting risk into the plan, keep members informed at each step and keep the records.

What to do about it: What Assessments Your HOA Community Needs and Why, How to Minimize Homeowners Association Liability and Maintaining Your HOA Records.

Landscaping rules that protect the lake

Because yards here drain to the lagoons and the lagoons open to Lake Tahoe, landscaping rules are water quality rules. The association’s 2018 Nonpoint Source Plan, filed with the water board, sets these out. It is several years old, so confirm the current rule with the association.

PhosphorusBanned. The middle number on the fertilizer bag must be zero.

NitrogenNo more than 1 pound per 1,000 square feet in one application and 2 pounds in a year.

TurfFertilized no more than twice a year, and never on frozen ground.

Your landscaperOwners answer for the products their landscapers use.

YardsAll developed lots must be landscaped, with automatic sprinklers and backflow prevention.

Exterior changes go through the association’s Community Design and Review Department and its Architectural Control Committee. The department checks applications, inspects construction and patrols properties, common areas and docks. Its forms, fees and rules are in the owner-only part of the site.

An association approval is not the only one you need. The South Lake Tahoe HOA Guide explains the city’s building permits and TRPA’s rules on trees, land coverage, stormwater and the May 1 to October 15 grading season, all of which apply in the Keys.

What to do about it: see how architectural requests work and Managing Outside Vendors for Your HOA.

Quick answers

Questions Tahoe Keys owners and board members ask

Can I rent my Tahoe Keys home to vacationers?

Two sets of rules apply and you need to satisfy both. The city requires a vacation rental permit and caps permits in residential areas. For condominiums, the city code defers to an association’s ban on short-term rentals. The association’s own rental rules are not on its public pages, so ask the association before you apply to the city. See the South Lake Tahoe HOA Guide and How to Handle Short-Term Rentals in Your Community.

Who supplies my water?

The Tahoe Keys Water Company, which the association owns and runs. The association’s public notices list a water company line at (530) 542-6451, taken from 2021 and 2022 notices.

Who plows the streets?

The city plows city streets, and a local news report on the city’s snow plan lists Tahoe Keys as one of its plow zones. The city’s rules on winter street parking and clearing your own berm are in the South Lake Tahoe HOA Guide.

Are herbicides being used in the lagoons now?

Not under the permits we found. Herbicides were applied once, in 2022, as part of the test. The water board ended that permit in May 2025, and its 2014 order does not allow herbicides.

Do I own the lagoon behind my house?

Possibly part of it. The water board’s order says the Main Lagoon has about 700 private owners along with association common area. Your deed and recorded map show your lot line.

Does the association maintain my townhome?

The association’s 2018 plan says it maintains townhouse building exteriors and the surrounding landscaping. Ask how those costs are budgeted for your cove. See Who Pays for Repairs in an HOA?

Can I use any fertilizer on my lawn?

No. The association’s 2018 plan bans phosphorus and limits nitrogen and how often turf can be fertilized.

How do I reach the association?

The association’s home page lists the front desk at (530) 542-6444 and its security patrol at (530) 545-0847. The office is at 356 Ala Wai Boulevard. To get involved, see Things to Consider Before Joining Your HOA Board.

Keep going

Where to go next on How2HOA

City rulesSouth Lake Tahoe HOA Guide.

Elsewhere in El Dorado CountyPlacerville HOA Guide, El Dorado Hills HOA Guide and Cameron Park HOA Guide.

Buying or selling here?Read Buying a House in an HOA? Here’s What You Need to Know and How to Sell a House in an HOA.

Treasurer or finance committee?Go to Understanding HOA Reserve Studies and the Annual HOA Budget Checklist.

Homeowner?See The Rights of Homeowners Association Members and Living in an HOA.

Sources for this guide

These sources open in a new tab.

Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association: home page; about; news; management transition; Community Design and Review; board agenda, September 27, 2024; uranium notice (2021); emergency water restrictions (2021); future of the water company (2022); Well 4 drilling schedule (2026); townhome dock pilings (2026); test boating restrictions (2022); notice of TRPA approval (January 2022); waterways and weeds management site.

Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board: Tahoe Keys weed control program; Order R6T-2014-0059; the association’s 2018 Nonpoint Source Plan; January 2022 board item on the Control Methods Test; Resolution R6-2025-0015 (May 2025); August 2025 update; the association’s 2016 letter on its wells.

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency: January 2022 notice on the Control Methods Test; 2023 project update.

Other: CEQAnet, Tahoe Keys Well 4 (city review); CEQAnet, Well 4 drilling and testing (2026); Control Methods Test draft final report, April 2025 (posted by the League to Save Lake Tahoe); League to Save Lake Tahoe on containment (2025); League to Save Lake Tahoe, December 2025 update; management company’s announcement; South Tahoe Now on the city’s snow removal plan; South Lake Tahoe City Code, vacation home rentals.

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This page is general educational information, not legal, financial or insurance advice. How2HOA is not affiliated with the association named here, and nothing on this page speaks for it. The association’s governing documents and current published rules control, so confirm details with the association and talk with a qualified professional about your situation.