Frog Pond Lake Rules and Regulations

Frog Pond Lake Rules and Regulations are enforced by the Frog Pond Property Owners Association (FPPOA)  in accordance with the lease agreement between the Frog Pond Lake Water Control and Improvement District (FPLWCID) and the FPPOA. Violations of any rule or regulation will result in notifications from the FPPOA and assessment of penalties if the violation continues. The sheriff’s department will be contacted when appropriate.

The majority of the following rules and regulations are conditions from the Conditional Grants of Easements (GOE), attached to each property when Frog Pond Lake was created. The FPPOA enforces the Grants of Easement,. amended in 1994 by the Haralson family, as a measure to protect the integrity of the lake and safety of the property owners. The term ‘Member’ is substituted for ‘Grantee’ since all property owners on Frog Pond Lake are automatic members of the FPPOA.  The lake rules from 2015 have been combined with the 1994 Amended GOE to form this document. This document replaces any previous lake rules. This document may not be altered without 2/3 vote of eligible members as defined in the FPPOA Bylaws, Article IV, Revision 2018.

Access to, and use of, Frog Pond Lake, (the lake), is limited to the following conditions:

1. Access to the lake is restricted to FPPOA members only as defined in the “Frog Pond Property Owners Association By-Laws, Article IV; Revision 2018. (GOE #1)
2. Access to the lake is extended to the Member’s immediate family and to guests if and only if guests are accompanied by the member or someone in the member’s  immediate family. (GOE #2) Immediate family includes Parents, Siblings and Spouses, Children and Spouses, Grandchildren and Spouses.
3. Keyhole developments are strictly prohibited on Frog Pond Lake. (A keyhole development, also called a funnel development, is the use of a waterfront lot to provide access to off-lake property owners who would not otherwise have lake access.) Prohibition of this type of development prevents higher boat and vehicle traffic from degrading the shoreline, increasing pollution to the lake, and causing user conflicts.
4. Use of Frog Pond Lake and the Member Access lot is at your own risk. This includes immediate family and all guests of Members. Any and all guests must be accompanied by a FPPOA member when accessing the lot.
5. When fishing, all State and Federal game and fish laws and regulations must be complied with. (GOE #3) A fishing license is not required on a private lake.
6. Fishing is prohibited from any location on the dam or spillway.
7. Do not leave your fishing tackle, such as noodles and trot lines, in the lake at the end of your visit to the lake. Mark all trot lines to be visible for swimmers and boaters.
8. Target shooting on any member lot is prohibited. Discharge of firearms on the dam, spillway, across a County Road, onto or over the lake is prohibited. (GOE #4)  This does not restrict the use of firearms for self defense or eliminating nuisance animals as all property owners have the right to protect their property. Be aware of state and federally protected species.
9. Discharge of fireworks from Member Access Lot, Dam, Spillway, or from a boat on the Lake is prohibited.
10. Removal of trees and other land based vegetation is discouraged, especially near the water’s edge. Such actions destroy wildlife habitats and encourage erosion, both detrimental to the lake. (GOE #6)
11. No additional vehicular roads or trails may be opened within the boundaries of the FPLWCID. (GOE #7) This does not apply to private driveways.
12. Members may not conduct any professional, service, or retail business on any lot that requires a business sign, increases traffic, or rents the property to non-members. (GOE#8)
13. No renting of property on Frog Pond Lake for any period/length of time. No lot may be subdivided.  (GOE #15)
14. Water skiing, jet skiing, or aquaplaning behind a watercraft is prohibited on the lake. This does not prevent disabled boats from being towed back to owner’s  dock. (GOE #9)
15. No minors (under 18) on the lake at night without an adult present in the boat with them.
16. No boat motor larger than 8 hp may be used on the lake. (7.5 hp are no longer available.) (GOE#9)
17. Boats may ONLY be launched from private Member lots or the Member Access Lot. Any boat launched onto Frog Pond Lake, including its trailer, must first be cleaned and inspected to prevent contaminating the lake with invasive species, in accordance with State and Federal Regulations.
18. Each waterfront lot is limited to one dock built of reasonable size to not impede fishing and boating of others on the lake. (GOE #10)
19. No member lot lake front can be dredged to change the natural shape of the shoreline. Bulkheads are allowed. Raking and removing muck is allowed, but muck must be removed and not relocated back into the lake.
20. No garbage or trash may be dumped or thrown into the lake, dam, spillway, or Member Access lot. Burning household trash is not prohibited but is discouraged; local trash companies are available. County issued bum bans are strictly enforced. (GOE #11)
21. Property owners may not create or maintain a nuisance on their property. (GOE #12)
22. The posted speed limit on CR 3150, CR 3160, CR 3170, is 15 MPH. Motorcycles and dirt bikes may only be used for transportation and may not be operated in a manner that will damage roads or create a noise nuisance, (GOE #5, #13). All wheeled vehicles must adhere to the posted speed limits and be driven by licensed drivers in accordance with the County and State laws.
23. Only foot traffic is permissible on the TOP of the dam. No fishing, foot traffic or any wheeled vehicles are permitted on the sides of the dam.  No boats may be parked or launched from the dam or spillway, and disembarking from boats on dam or spillway is prohibited. (GOE #14)
24. Houseboats or similar vessels, outhouses, marine bathroom facilities, etc. are all prohibited on Frog Pond Lake.

RULES SPECIFIC TO  USE OF MEMBER ACCESS LOT

1. Property Owners from CR 3140 and CR 3155 who were issued an original Conditional Grant of Easement to Frog Pond Lake with the original sale of the property have an opportunity to purchase an annual Off-Lake Membership to the lake with access restricted solely to the Member Access Lot as dictated by the Property Deed of February 2015; Volume 1118, page 855 located at the Tyler County Clerk’s Office.  Off-Lake members must qualify with restrictions set forth in the bylaws, fill out a membership application, pay dues, and follow all lake rules and regulations.  Funds from Off-Lake Membership dues will be used in accordance with the FPPOA Bylaws, Article V; Revision 2018.
2. All FPPOA members are prohibited from building fires, grilling, or camping in the Member Access Lot.  Exception is made for maintenance cleanup fires.
3. No cutting trees in the Member Access Lot except for the Maintenance cleanup crew.
4. All motorized vehicles will remain on the entrance road to Member Access Lot, no off road, no cutting trails.
5. The gate to the Member Access Lot will remain closed at all times.
6. FPPOA is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged property on the Member Access lot.
7. FPPOA is not responsible for accidents of any kind on the Member Access Lot.
8. Only authorized boats may be stored at the Member Access Lot. Unauthorized boats will be considered abandoned property.

GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICIES

• Read and follow all fishing size limits posted around the lake.
• Practice catch and release, keeping only the fish you intend to eat. If you fish, donate to the fish fund once a year.
• Keep night lighting to a minimum; please turn off lights on the lake when not in use.
• All property on Frog Pond Lake is privately owned and should never be accessed without the owner present.
• Sound travels across the lake; be respectful with the noise levels.
• Frog Pond Lake is working toward eliminating gas boat motors and using only electric motors on the lake to reduce pollution. The goal is to be all electric by 2022.
• Use of the lake at night is now permitted, however, please do not shine lights on private property or be disruptive. The rule against night use will be reinstated if this policy is abused.

Approved by Executive Board on July 14, 2018.

Approved by the FPLWCID on July 21, 2018.

Confirmed by the FPPOA Membership on September 15, 2019.