Living in Montreux, Reno: What the HOA, the Club and the Design Rulebook Each Decide
"Membership in the Association and ownership in the Subdivision does not cover any ownership interest in or right to use the Golf Course." That sentence is in the buyer FAQ on the Montrêux Homeowners Association's About page. It's the clearest way into this gated community off Mt. Rose Highway. The Jack Nicklaus course runs between the homesites, but buying a home here doesn't give you the right to play it. Three separate bodies shape ownership in Montreux: the homeowners association, the private club, and the Design Review Committee. The committee's rulebook was revised on August 18, 2026, and it has the most say over what your home can become.
The HOA describes Montreux as 558 homesites on 726 gated acres in the Sierra foothills above Reno, with staff on duty around the clock. It says lot and home sizes vary and that most homes are custom designed to fit the mountain terrain. The Association owns and maintains the common elements, which include:
Galena Creek and Jones Creek both run through the property. The HOA says the open space is held rather than developed, and it maintains fuel breaks in coordination with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District.
There are two layers inside the master association. CC&R amendments set up the Cottages and the Creekside Manors as separate cost and service centers. Each has its own maintenance duties and budget, and each has an executive board elected by the homeowners in that neighborhood. If you buy in one of those two neighborhoods, you deal with a second budget and a second board on top of the master HOA. Rentals shorter than 30 days aren't allowed anywhere in the community.
The public site doesn't post the assessment amount. Account-specific records are kept behind the homeowner login.
The relationship with the golf course is the least obvious part of the structure. No part of the course is HOA common area, and owners can't walk onto it from their lots or from common areas. The ponds and lakes are off-limits too, except for golf use. Even so, the course pays into the HOA's operating funds on an "equivalent lots" basis. It is also a member of the Association, with voting power on the same equivalent-lot basis. The original CC&Rs are posted under a file name that notes the restated declaration "binds" the golf course.
In practice, the golf course shares in the cost of the gates and roads and has a vote on how they're run. The club itself, Montrêux Golf & Country Club, is separate, private and member-owned, and it handles its own memberships and tee times. Its membership page lists three levels:
| Membership | What the club lists |
|---|---|
| Golf | Full use of the Jack Nicklaus Signature course and practice facilities, plus the fitness center, clubhouse, tennis, pickleball, sport court, pools, hot tubs and a winter simulator room with TrackMan simulators |
| Sports | Tennis, pickleball, swimming, group fitness classes and social events, plus up to eight rounds of golf per person each year at the accompanied guest rate, subject to availability and timing restrictions |
| Clubhouse | Clubhouse dining and the social calendar |
The page doesn't list initiation fees or dues. It ends with a membership inquiry form.
The club has also changed course on its own. It hosted the PGA Tour's Barracuda Championship for 21 years, and in August 2019 its board decided to stop. NNBW reported that the board cited the tournament's effects on finances, facilities, members and homeowners. Nevada Sports Net reported in December 2019 that the event was moving to Old Greenwood near Truckee. The same year, according to the club, members voted to remodel the clubhouse without an assessment.
The HOA maintains the shared spaces, the club runs the golf, and the Design Review Committee controls what goes on your own lot. The committee reviews anything that can be seen, heard or otherwise sensed from outside the property. Its approval is required for additions and changes, including landscaping, dog enclosures and exterior changes made after a home is finished. The current Design Guidelines were amended and adopted on August 18, 2026. The document doesn't include a revision history showing what that amendment changed.
These are the standards that most shape the homes you'll see in Montreux:
| Element | What the Guidelines say |
|---|---|
| Style | No single style is required, but European Alpine is desired. Southern plantation, Santa Fe adobe, experimental and radical designs will not be approved |
| Size | Main dwelling at least 2,500 square feet, with no fixed maximum. Detached guest quarters, if allowed, top out at 1,500 square feet |
| Height | No fixed maximum. The committee weighs views from common areas, the golf course and the mountains |
| Roof | Pitched roofs only. No mansard roofs, no real wood shakes or shingles because of fire hazard, no barrel or "S" tile. Roofs should look like high-quality wood shake, made of slate, flat concrete or tile in dark earth tones |
| Garage | Enclosed garage for at least three cars. No carports |
| Repetition | No repeated or nearly repeated exteriors, unless an individual neighborhood chooses to allow it on small sites |
Exterior walls favor stucco, natural stone and native wood siding in subdued colors, and the committee approves colors. Metal, vinyl and fiberglass siding aren't allowed. Most lots have a site-specific building envelope, and structures have to stay inside it. Some sites may not have a designated envelope. Formal lawns are allowed in front yards, but in back and side yards only within the envelope. Open wood-burning fire pits are prohibited, chimneys and outdoor fireplaces need approved spark arrestors, and barbecues have to be lidded. The Cottages have a recorded amendment that the HOA's document index describes as exempting them from the square-footage minimums.
Trees get their own rules. The Guidelines strongly encourage keeping trees over 12 inches in diameter or 30 feet tall. The DRC Rules and Regulations prohibit removing any tree over six inches in diameter without committee approval. The CC&Rs also make each owner responsible for fuel-modification and firebreak areas on their own lot.
Anyone planning a new home or a major addition goes through the committee's steps, and some payments come before construction can start:
The deposit can also be reduced. The committee deducts $500 for each inspection needed after the owner reports the project complete. For unapproved modifications, it can keep 25, 50 or 100 percent of the deposit, depending on how serious they are. Large remodels go through the same process as new homes. Smaller projects such as solar, trellises and landscaping changes pay a minor submittal fee, and hand-drawn plans aren't accepted. The Guidelines refer to an Appendix B for those review fees, but the posted copy doesn't include the amounts.
Under the Compliance Policy, adopted July 17, 2024, scheduled violations carry a $100 fine. Examples include starting work before written approval, unprotected native trees, Sunday or holiday work, and failing to maintain lot firebreaks after notice. The 2024 Rules and the Compliance Policy set different intervals for repeat fines on uncorrected violations, so the HOA is the source for which schedule currently applies.
The rules matter right now because Montreux is still finishing its build-out. Stan Jaksick and his father, Sam, started construction in 1994, and the Nicklaus course opened in 1997. In August 2024, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported that the final 39 lots were going on sale. They ranged from a third of an acre to more than two acres, priced from $2.5 million to $4.5 million, and the developers expected to sell them within two to three years.
The developer group's Heritage Collection site, which is undated, lists 16 remaining estate homesites of three-quarters of an acre to just over an acre. It describes them as Montreux's final offering. The site shows three built-to-order mountain-modern plans by Dale Cox Architects, ranging from 3,500 to 5,500 square feet, with single-level living and oversized garages. On Nestle Court, which runs along the 5th fairway, four of five parcels are marked sold and Lot 4 is still available. No prices are posted. Those plans are well above the 2,500-square-foot minimum. The developer calls them mountain-modern, and the Guidelines name European Alpine as the desired style.
The HOA lists drive times of about 15 minutes to Mount Rose Ski Tahoe, 20 minutes to Reno-Tahoe International Airport, 25 minutes to downtown Reno and 30 minutes to Lake Tahoe.
Does buying a home in Montreux include golf? No. Owning a home gives you no right to use the course, and club membership is arranged directly with Montrêux Golf & Country Club.
Can I rent my Montreux home short term? No. Rentals shorter than 30 days aren't allowed.
Does replacing landscaping or adding solar need approval? Yes. Both go through the committee as minor submittals, with a fee.
Where are the HOA dues posted? They aren't posted publicly. Account records are kept in the homeowner portal.
If you're weighing a Montreux home, a lot or a remodel, I can help you work through the HOA, the club and the August 2026 design rules before you commit. Dyan Chapman can help you sort out which costs and approvals apply to the property you have in mind. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
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Dyan Chapman
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