# Owning a coy pond without a license and the consequences



## sunaynaprasad (Feb 6, 2017)

So in the draft of my WIP I'm writing, my MC involuntarily turns her swimming pool into a coy pond. The story is fantasy, but is about a 14-year-old girl who lived non-magical most of her life in a modern, ordinary American setting. I know you need a license to have a coy pond. I am actually consider my MC' s godfather/guardian (she's orphaned) to get in trouble. What kind of trouble would you get into if you were caught having a fish pond without a license? What happens to your fish pond?


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## ppsage (Feb 7, 2017)

Doing a quick google, I think you might be confusing licences with building permits? For both of these usually you pay the fee with a penalty and maybe a fine especially if it's a deliberate effort to evade the regulation. Plus it will have to be brought up to code. If it can't be fixed, then removal and possible fine. I live in small-town rural Oregon and people have all kind of ponds, including koi, without needing either.


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 7, 2017)

Thank you, ppsage.


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## Shi (Feb 14, 2017)

[COLOR=#0000800]3.[/COLOR] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]There are virtually no laws currently anywhere in the U.S. that specifically regulate water garden construction. However, the B.O.C.A. (Building Organization Code Administration) states that bodies of water which are two feet of depth or less, or 250 square feet (10′ x 25′) or less, do not fall under swimming pool regulations. As long as you comply with B.O.C.A. codes, it is highly unusual for a city to require a permit.

from 

http://clearwaterlandscapes.com/how-to-articles/pond-frequently-asked-questions/#permit

also please don't spell 'koi' as 'coy'. it makes you seem ignorant.

I don't think they would get in trouble for having a garden pond, but you can always make the conflict happen on the basis of responsibility. Koi are hard to keep pretty. Do a little google, and maybe have your characters have differing ideas about how to care for their new fish.[/FONT]


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 14, 2017)

Sounds good. I apologize for the spelling error. Some word spellings get confusing for me.


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