Can you be reimbursed for pothole damage in South Lake Tahoe?

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - We've all seen them, the holes in the pavement around Lake Tahoe brought on by the long winter and constant abuse of the surface from continual freezing and melting of water that gets into the cracks, much of those brought on by car chains and heavy traffic.

If you drive in South Lake Tahoe and around the rest of Lake Tahoe, you are very familiar with the large number of potholes that seemed to have popped up everywhere and growing overnight. It's not just a Tahoe problem, but a winter road problem. Experts estimate there are 55 million potholes in the United States each winter.

Dodging the potholes is not always possible, causing sounds drivers don't want to hear, and bringing on worries about what car issue just occurred. the South Lake Tahoe Les Schwab Tire center said they are seeing numerous people daily with tires flattened from potholes. A spokesperson said they have a lot of visitors with tire issues and they have to wait about a week to get replacement tires, and if an AWD vehicle, they may have to replace all four tires. With cars out of commission, rental car agencies have not had many vehicles available, and if the flat is on a rental, that puts the customer on lengthy phone calls trying to get assistance.

Most current issues on cars are flat tires and the need of an alignment. The Les Schwab center said they are also seeing cracked wheels and suspension issues which again require parts to be sent to South Lake Tahoe.

These issues can be costly. Is there help available?

That depends on where the issue occurred. In South Lake Tahoe and Meyers, there are three agencies responsible for roads: Caltrans, El Dorado County, and the City of South Lake Tahoe.

Caltrans said a false report went out by an assemblyperson and carried in some media in California, saying all drivers had to do was file a request for reimbursement from the State. This was false as Under California law, Caltrans does not insure vehicles for damage on state highways.

"Drivers in California should exercise caution on all roads and carry adequate automobile insurance to cover liability and property damage," they stated.

In the City of South Lake Tahoe, people are able to submit a liability claim and those are taken on a case-by-case basis. Forms are available here: https://cityofslt.us/108/Liability-Claims.

For issues on County roads, individuals are able to access the Liability Claim Form using the following link: https://www.edcgov.us/Government/BOS/Documents/2023%20claim%20packet.pdf. The completed forms are submitted to the Clerk of the Board, after which, the claim is reviewed and either approved or denied. There are laws that apply to the filing of a claim against a public entity. If the information supplied on the claim form is incomplete or does not meet the legal requirements, it may be returned without action as insufficient.