Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I've been in contact with the city and I told them I was thinking about Aquaponics. They started telling me that I have to follow rules pertaining to a 'nursery'.

So, now I'm curious, if you had to place a more general name or heading for what AP is, what would it be? Seems to me the biggest part of AP would be vegetables and such would be better termed as a greenhouse or agriculture. CHIME IN!!

What about hydroponic operations??

Unless going commercial, I do not see why any "rules" need to be followed. For Christ sake - we are just trying to feed ourselves! I would classify it as gardening as not everyone raises the fish for consumption. That is just an added bonus if you choose trout over goldies.

If you're not selling it then it is just a garden and a koi/goldfish pond.

Yep, definately a fish pond and a veggie garden, that's all, nothing to see here.... If it's not commercial they don't need to know..

Well, I call it raised garden beds, nothing wrong with raised garden beds is there?

Oh, and there is a rain water tank that I pump water around the garden beds with. Um and I add some fish to the water tank to keep the mosquitoes down. And then I feed the fish so that the plants get more nutrients.

Or you could have an ornamental reflecting pond with some fish and then some raised garden beds that can help filter the water for the fish, etc.

Only time you should be explaining too much about it to the officials is if you are going commercial.

I would avoid calling it Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Aquaculture, or fish farming. All those things have far too strong an agricultural bent and unless you are going commercial, you don't want to deal with the added regulations of being a registered nursery or anything else.

I doubt any government really means for any of their regulations to say that a person can't garden in their back yard. However, many HOA's do want to restrict gardens and just about everything else. So if all you are dealing with is Gov, call it a garden (yea, perhaps it is a unique type of gardening and your raised garden beds are not filled with dirt but that doesn't really make any difference.) If raised garden beds are allowed and water tanks or ponds are allowed, you should be all good so long as they don't have control over what it should look like.

It is only if you are dealing with a HOA that you really have real trouble.

Hi Tman
If the setup is not commercial and just for private use in my opinion and experience it is generally better not involving any form of council/governance the less they know the better.
If they ever discover your situation, plead ignorance and get them on side by asking how they can assist you to overcome the situation

Desertrat- you are absolutely correct in your statement. The problem is that I would like to end up going commercial, and my neighbors have proven to be a pain in the past. The other issue is that I'm doing multiple things which will attract more 'noses'.

I ended up talking directly with the gal who making all the statements, turns out she really wasn't sure what AP was/is. Determining definitions from the city's point of realtivity, of hoophouses, green houses, permanent, temporary is a pain. Again, it's my understanding, if the greenhouse is bigger than 120 sq ft, I need approval. That's not very big on 15 acres. More than likely I could put something bigger up without asking but, with the neighbors, I might have future problems. Hence the desire to understand....

Point her to the NYTimes article, maybe that would help put a positive halo around it.

15 acres and the neighbors are a problem?

Heck I was almost getting away with all this on my rather visible to the public park 1/3rd of an acre.

But if you are building a real/perm greenhouse, you want to make sure you have approvial so as not to have to take it down.

(Mine isn't really a greenhouse, it was just a trellis or pergola that I'd put plastic over for the winter and I am having to take down the structure.) They don't need to know that it isn't simply raised garden beds and water tanks or fish ponds inside.

Depressing isn't it?

Rural Route or in city limits???
Dude, if your out of the city limits and they give you too much trouble ... Start a hog or chicken farm

Be careful with commercial building codes. If you build it as a hobby you only have to follow residential fire electrical etc. Better to convert to commercial later. Only need an occupancy licence from fire marshall later. If building commercial way more strengent codes. Metal shielded wire. Larger elect. panels, seperate meters ie water, elect.
liability ins. and on and on. Start as a hobby you will be way better off. I built a snowball stand...$12K. Could have moved a portable building for $2,500 and got occupency license. Total would have been around $6K. with equipment.

I suppose an important question here is....

Is this for a commercial application or a private backyard hobby?

If it's a hobby, then the aquaponics system is nothing more than the garden and fish pond we mentioned above and you just need to follow whatever the building codes and zoning rules are for a residential hobby greenhouse (if you are allowed one.)

If for commercial purposes. Well, I suppose it depends on what your zoning laws are for a greenhouse or whatever. I would think that Nursery rules really only apply if you are selling live plants. If you are planning to sell produce, then whatever greenhouse, farming rules apply. If you are planning on selling fish then you should look into the aquaculture rules in your area.

[quote="BatonRouge Bill":*now Paul, stop that*]Rural Route or in city limits???
Dude, if your out of the city limits and they give you too much trouble ... Start a hog or chicken farm [/quote:*now Paul, stop that*]

Welllllll..... since they complained about some noise of one of my panel saws, I am actually thinking that they have to be careful what they wish for. I am allowed up to 4500 chickens (zoned rural residential which basically means they want to preserve agriculture), and even though hens don't make that much noise, they still make noise. I do have a spot that would be well away from my house that I could house some roosters, which would be a lot closer to their house, and totally legit!! I hate to get 'nasty' like that, but if they want to play.....

Now that I think of it, they had mentioned at a city council meeting that they love the sound of pheasant roosters and I was 'hurting' that.... well, i can give them some roosters!