Planning commission approves four commercial rafting permits for Truckee River
April 17, 2026 | Nevada County, California
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The Nevada County Planning Commission on a unanimous vote approved four commercial rafting permits allowing guided commercial rafting operations on the Little Truckee and Truckee River.
Assistant planner Alina Church told the commission the permits—sought by Tributary Whitewater Tours, Tahoe White Water Tours, DreamCatcher River Tours and Irie Rafting Company—are regulated by the county rafting ordinance and include limits on hours of operation, number of rafts, parking requirements and a two‑year permit cycle. Church said the permitting program, in place since 1994, is designed "to prevent disturbance to the greatest extent possible to the river while allowing the use of the river intended by the general code." (Alina Church, assistant planner).
The staff report noted two primary access points: an ingress site just below Boca Dam on U.S. Forest Service land (authorized by a USFS special‑use permit) and egress locations on both banks at the I‑80 overpass in Floriston. Church also said the applicants have right‑of‑way agreements with Caltrans for staging and that USFS permits authorize placement of a temporary restroom and a 12-by-30‑foot temporary structure at the Boca put‑in for operational needs.
Commissioners asked whether there had been complaints in the most recent permitting cycle; Church said staff had no known complaints from the 2024–25 season. A commissioner moved to find the permits categorically exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines 15061(b)(3) and to approve the four permits making findings A through G in the staff report; the motion passed on a roll call vote with recorded ayes.
The permits include conditions of approval the planning department enforces through seasonal inspections, including requirements for porta‑potties, communication devices, first‑aid and safety equipment on shuttle buses, and prohibitions on ancillary commercial activity and parking in rights of way outside Caltrans lease areas. The commission’s action preserves the two‑year permit cycle and the county’s existing monitoring regime.
The commission adjourned the rafting permit item after the vote and moved on to the next matter on its agenda.
Assistant planner Alina Church told the commission the permits—sought by Tributary Whitewater Tours, Tahoe White Water Tours, DreamCatcher River Tours and Irie Rafting Company—are regulated by the county rafting ordinance and include limits on hours of operation, number of rafts, parking requirements and a two‑year permit cycle. Church said the permitting program, in place since 1994, is designed "to prevent disturbance to the greatest extent possible to the river while allowing the use of the river intended by the general code." (Alina Church, assistant planner).
The staff report noted two primary access points: an ingress site just below Boca Dam on U.S. Forest Service land (authorized by a USFS special‑use permit) and egress locations on both banks at the I‑80 overpass in Floriston. Church also said the applicants have right‑of‑way agreements with Caltrans for staging and that USFS permits authorize placement of a temporary restroom and a 12-by-30‑foot temporary structure at the Boca put‑in for operational needs.
Commissioners asked whether there had been complaints in the most recent permitting cycle; Church said staff had no known complaints from the 2024–25 season. A commissioner moved to find the permits categorically exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines 15061(b)(3) and to approve the four permits making findings A through G in the staff report; the motion passed on a roll call vote with recorded ayes.
The permits include conditions of approval the planning department enforces through seasonal inspections, including requirements for porta‑potties, communication devices, first‑aid and safety equipment on shuttle buses, and prohibitions on ancillary commercial activity and parking in rights of way outside Caltrans lease areas. The commission’s action preserves the two‑year permit cycle and the county’s existing monitoring regime.
The commission adjourned the rafting permit item after the vote and moved on to the next matter on its agenda.
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