Turtle Cove

Property Owner's Association

Telephone:  (706) 468-8805
Fax:  (706) 468-9355

E-Mail:  turtlecovepoa@bellsouth.net

4.01  Land Use

(a)  Unless otherwise provided by this Declaration or designated on a final plat, all Lots in the Development shall be used for residential purposes only.  Camping will be permitted on individual lots for a period of five years after the last lot in each subdivision has been purchased (and may be extended by the Board) provided, however, that no gear, equipment or supplies are erected or parked or stored on said Lot when not in daily use.  An improved camping area shall be designated for use by the Owners on a first-come-first-served basis.  No equipment (tents, trailers, campers and the like) shall be left in the camping areas when not in daily use except in a parking or storage area designated by the Developer or the Association.  After twenty (20) years from the date of this Declaration is recorded or after dwelling houses have been built on 80% (eighty percent) of the Lots (whichever comes first), the Board may convert the camping area to other common uses.

(b)  The construction or placement of boat houses, boat lifts, boat cribs and the like on the shoreline or elsewhere on any Lot fronting on the lake is specifically prohibited.  Before any Owner undertakes any effort whatsoever to fill, stabilize or otherwise alter the natural shoreline through the placement of any structures or the placement or removal of any materials, such Owner shall submit detailed plans therefor to the Committee and shall obtain the written approval of the Committee.  Before any Owner undertakes any construction or placement of docks, piers, floats, landings, playground equipment and the like, each Owner shall submit detailed plans therefor to the Committee and shall obtain the written approval of the Committee.  Docks, piers and the like shall be constructed and maintained so as to appear as compatible with the natural shoreline as possible and shall not extend more than thirty (30) feet into the water when the lake is at its normal pool elevation.  The Developer or the Board may direct the exclusive use of certain dock or pier designs if these are deemed particularly well-suited to the development and lend continuity to shoreline improvements.

(c)  An Owner shall not cut or in any manner remove more than twenty-five (25) percent of the trees in the areas lying between the building site of his dwelling house and the boundaries of his Lot (as compared with the condition of such areas at the time he purchased his Lot).  Each Owner shall, however, promptly cut and remove all dead or diseased trees from his Lot.

4.02  Lot Size and Division

No Lot shall be divided or redivided.

4.03  Type of Buildings

(a)  Construction of each Lot shall be limited to a single family residence unless otherwise designated for multi-family use on the plat.  Only one outbuilding (detached garage, storage shed, or the like) may be erected and maintained on each Lot in addition to the dwelling house.  Such out building shall not be erected prior to the completion of the exterior of the dwelling house; it shall conform in external appearance to the dwelling house and shall not be used for residential purposes.

(b)  Any building erected on any Lot must have a full foundation.  The Committee may in its discretion exempt porches, sundecks and the like from the operation of this rule upon written request of the Owner of the Lot, if the design of the dwelling house or the topography of the Lot makes such exemption desirable.  Deck and porch supports and similar exposed structural members must conform in design and appearance to the main structure and must be approved by the Committee before installation thereof.

4.04  Dwelling Size

No dwelling house shall be erected or maintained on any Lot if such dwelling house has more than two stories or has a ground floor area of less than 760 square feet or has a minimum width of less than 24 feet.  Porches, sundecks, basement, attics, attached garages, breezeways, carports, crawl-spaces and the like shall be excluded from the calculation of ground floor or living space, as the case may be.

4.05  Placement of Buildings

(a)  The following setback requirements shall govern the placement of buildings on Lots:  No building, porch, or projection shall be erected or maintained on any Lot closer than thirty-five (35) feet from the rear property line, nor closer than ten (10) feet from any side property line, nor closer than thirty-five (35) feet from any street line, nor closer than seventy-five (75) feet from the normal high water line (530' MSL) of Lake Jackson, except on those properties with pre-planned building sites designated by the Developer.

(b)  Whenever two or more contiguous Lots shall be owned by the same person, and such person shall desire to use two or more of them as a consolidated site for a single dwelling house, he shall apply to the Committee for permission to depart from the setback requirements along the internal Lot lines of the consolidated site.  If written permission for such use shall be granted and a dwelling house constructed on the consolidated site in accordance with such permission, the Lots constituting the consolidated site shall be treated in other respects as a single Lot for the purpose of applying this Declaration.

4.06  Completion of Construction Work

All building exteriors, including exterior color, shall be completed within six (6) months from the date construction begins.  All exterior materials must be approved by the Developer or the Committee.  All residential buildings must have electric heat except those exempted in writing by the Developer or the Committee; such exemptions may be made to accommodate certain designs, occupation or health requirements or where substantial economies will result.

4.07  Signs, Fences, and Sundry Structures

No signs shall be displayed on any Lot other than a sign identifying the Lot and a "For Sale" sign.  Identification signs shall not exceed four square feet in size and shall be constructed of natural materials and/or finished in natural colors.  "For Sale" signs shall be displayed only with the permission and under the supervision of the Developer or the Committee.  Every tank for storage of fuel that is installed outside any building on any Lot shall be buried below the surface of the ground or be painted and screened from view.  Boundary fences on individual properties shall be prohibited.

4.08  Surface Drainage, Sanitary Facilities, Nuisances and Pets

The natural surface drainage patterns of any Lot shall not be changed by grading, damming, filling or installation of conduits, except with the written permission of the Committee.  All residences shall be connected to the central water system when it becomes available.  No outdoor toilet shall be erected or maintained on any Lot.  No part of any Lot shall be used for dumping of garbage, trash or refuse of any kind, except that debris which may be temporarily present in connection with construction work.  No animals shall be kept or maintained on any Lot other than the usual household pets which shall be kept and maintained as not to become an unreasonable annoyance or nuisance to other residents in the development.

4.09  Protective Maintenance of Lots

Every Owner shall have the responsibility of maintaining his Lot so as to prevent surface erosion, growth of noxious weeds, fire hazards, improper operation of sewage disposal systems, and the like.  In the event that an Owner shall fail to exercise the responsibilities outlined above, the Association, through its agents or employees shall have the right to enter upon said Lot and abate any of the above conditions.  The cost of any such action shall be added to and become part of the Owner's annual maintenance assessment.