Tahoe Donner HOA Fees Explained
With 6,500 homeowners in the hills above Truckee, Tahoe Donner is one of the nation's largest homeowner associations. It's governed by a 5-member Board of Directors who are elected by the owners. The Board voted recently to increase the annual HOA fee to $2,624 a year.
Everyone who owns in Tahoe Donner (even vacant lot owners) is responsible for the annual HOA fee, which pays for staffing and subsidizes the operation of many Tahoe Donner amenities, some of which rely on the subsidy to pay operational costs. Various Tahoe Donner amenities are open to the public. These include:
- The Lodge Restaurant & Pub
- The Downhill & Cross Country Ski Areas (as well as the restaurants & bars at both facilities)
- Tahoe Donner Golf Course
- Pizza on the Hill (a seasonal restaurant & bar)
- Hundreds of acres of open space with carefully groomed trails for hiking, biking & horseback riding
Other amenities are open only to Tahoe Donner homeowners and their guests through a fee-based access policy:
- The Beach Club/Marina at Donner Lake (white sand, full-service beach with kayak & SUP storage and rentals, cafe, bar, and locker rooms with boat launch, Swim & Fishing Docks, and children's swim areas)
- Trout Creek Recreation & Fitness Center (gym, swimming pools, and fitness classes)
- Tahoe Donner Tennis Center
- Northwoods Swimming Pool (slide & kiddie swim area) Click here to read more ...
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Facility Use Fees in Tahoe Donner
Tahoe Donner owners pay to use the amenities open to the public such as the Cross Country Ski Area, but owners receive a discounted rate. The cross country center, for example, charges $630 for an adult season pass in the 2022-23 season (and $473 for Tahoe Donner homeowners). Owners also receive discounted rates for golf and the downhill ski area.
Fees to use the other Member-only facilities like the fitness center, tennis, or the marina, can either be paid at the time of entry (daily fees vary for each facility), or based on the following scale for unlimited annual use: 
How Tahoe Donner HOA Fees Stack up to other Communities
While no one likes fee increases, Tahoe Donner's HOA dues have been for many years on par with many other resort-like destinations in Tahoe/Truckee. The Northstar Property Owners Association, for example, (serving the homes around the golf course, the older condos, and Big Springs owners) is $1,350/year and includes year-round swimming, a fitness center, tennis, and seasonal pools.
Tahoe's Gated Communities Charge Higher Fees
Gated communities have far higher HOA dues with tiered membership programs for access to amenities and club facilities. The HOA dues in Lahontan, for example, are going up to roughly $400/month in 2023, and that does not include amenity access, which requires a social membership ($40,000 initiation fee, and annual dues of $9,350). Golf memberships are sold separately, and prices vary, as these are sold on the open market with a percentage due to the Club on each sale. (Unlike Tahoe Donner, the HOA at Lahontan is separate from the Club)
In Gray's Crossing, which is not gated, the HOA dues are $2,220/year & include a small fitness center with a seasonal pool and hot tub. (Gray's Crossing, like the newer areas of Northstar, also charges owners annual debt service payments for Mello Roos bonds that were floated to fund the infrastructure of the new developments.)
Q: What do HOA Fees and Bridge Tolls have in Common? A: They only move in one direction
In 2016, the Tahoe Donner Board of Directors made a commitment to hold HOA dues flat, and that lasted three years. In 2019, the HOA dues were increased to $1,965.
Please contact me with any questions! I've owned property in Tahoe Donner property owner for some 25 years, and I currently serve on the Long Range Planning Committee ~ Jackie 775-391-9443
Posted by Jackie Ginley on
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