← HOA answers

Arbor Pointe

What the recorded documents actually say about Arbor Pointe in South Bend — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.

26 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.

What you can build and change

Conditional

Fences

A fence may not sit closer to any street than the rear of the house. Perimeter fencing is capped at four feet; a privacy fence up to six feet is allowed around the immediate patio. It has to match the architectural standard set by the style of the house and be approved by the architectural committee in writing, unless a written variance is granted.

Paragraph 7 - Fences
Conditional

Sheds & outbuildings

A detached storage or pet-shelter structure has to be quality construction, kept neat and blend with the house, and go to the architectural committee for approval before building starts. No trailer, modular or manufactured home, basement, tent, shack, garage, barn or outbuilding may be lived in.

Paragraph 11 - Detached Buildings, with Paragraph 9 - Prohibited Structures
Conditional

RVs, boats & trailers

Boats, motor homes, trailers and other recreational vehicles may not be stored closer to the front lot line than the minimum building setback on the plat. Nothing may be parked on the street more than seven consecutive days, and a vehicle on blocks or without a current plate may never be stored outside an enclosed garage.

Paragraph 22 - Recreational Vehicles
Conditional

Swimming pools & hot tubs

A pool or tennis court may be built, but not until the plans and specifications have been approved in writing by the developer or its designated representative.

Paragraph 10 - Pools and Tennis Courts
Conditional

Exterior changes & additions

Nothing may be built, placed, maintained or altered, and the natural topography or drainage may not be changed, until the architectural committee approves the plans. Two full sets go in, showing floor plan, quality of construction, materials, outside colours, how the design sits with the houses around it, and placement against the lot lines, topography and finish grade.

Paragraph 3 - Architectural Control, with Paragraph 1
Conditional

Satellite dishes & antennas

The covenant bars any exposed or exterior radio or television transmission or receiving antenna, dish or other device on a lot, and says a waiver for one lot is not a waiver for any other. Federal rules on over-the-air reception devices limit how far a private covenant can restrict a satellite dish under one meter across on property within your own exclusive use and control, so ask the association how this one is handled.

Paragraph 24 - Antennas
Conditional

Solar panels

Solar panels are allowed, but the installation and its location must be approved in writing by the developer before construction.

Paragraph 18 - Solar Panels
Conditional

Landscaping, trees & gardens

Side, front and rear yards have to be planted with grass seed, sod or an approved ground cover within 120 days of the house being finished or occupied. The protective screening areas are planted and kept up by the lot owners at their own expense. On a corner lot nothing between two and six feet above the roadway may block the sight triangle.

Paragraph 17 - Completion Date, Paragraph 6 and Paragraph 16
Not stated

Mailboxes

We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.

We can find out →

How you can live here

Conditional

Pets

Only dogs, cats and pet birds may be kept, in reasonable numbers, and none for any commercial purpose. Animals have to be cared for and restrained so they are not offensive on account of noise, odour or unsanitary conditions. A dog may not run at large unless it is in an approved dog run or fenced yard, or on a leash no longer than eight feet.

Paragraph 14 - Animals
Not stated

Renting your home

We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.

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Not stated

Basketball hoops

We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.

We can find out →
Conditional

Yard signs

One sign of no more than five square feet advertising the property for sale or rent is allowed, plus a builder's signage of any size during construction and sales. The developer keeps the right to put up its own.

Paragraph 13 - Signs
Conditional

Street parking

Driveways must be at least twelve feet wide and built of asphalt at least three inches thick or concrete at least four. Stone and cinder driveways are not allowed and a circular drive must be at least eight feet wide. Nothing may be parked on the street more than seven consecutive days, and an unlicensed vehicle or one on blocks may never sit outside a garage.

Paragraph 12 - Driveways, with Paragraph 22
Conditional

Running a business from home

No noxious or offensive activity may be carried on, and nothing may be done on a lot that becomes an annoyance or nuisance in the neighbourhood.

Paragraph 8 - Nuisances
Not stated

Short-term rentals (Airbnb)

We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.

We can find out →
Not stated

Vehicle repair in the driveway

We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.

We can find out →
Conditional

Trash & recycling containers

No lot may be used as a dumping ground. Trash and garbage have to be kept in sanitary containers, and any incinerator or storage equipment kept clean and sanitary. Fuel storage tanks have to be underground or concealed inside the house or garage.

Paragraph 15 - Garbage and Refuse Disposal, with Paragraph 19
Not stated

Grilling & outdoor cooking

We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.

We can find out →
Not stated

Clotheslines

We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.

We can find out →
Not stated

Flags & flagpoles

We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.

We can find out →
Not stated

Window coverings & decorations

We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.

We can find out →

Where these answers come from

The documentProtective Restrictions, Covenants, Limitations and Easements for Arbor Pointe, St. Joseph County, Indiana, read with the association by-laws
Recorded asPlat of Arbor Pointe, Section 4 (lots 93-99 and 130-136) recorded 1995-03-16 as Document No. 9507105
Restrictions filed 1995-03-16, stamped 9514545
How it was readThe recorded copy on file is a scan of paper with no digital text, so it was read by optical character recognition. That can misread individual words, which is why nothing on this page is presented as a direct quote.
Checked againsttwo scans of the covenants came down on separate listings and read the same paragraph for paragraph RE-CHECKED 2026-09-23 against the amendment scan: CLEAN. The amendment check flagged the word 'revised', which here appears only in the CPI escalation clause for the assessment cap, not in any amending instrument. Note the developer is The Meadows Land Corporation, so the phrase 'Plat of The Meadows' appears in the assessment paragraph as drafting boilerplate - the document is for Arbor Pointe, which it names throughout.
The associationArbor Pointe Homeowners Association, Inc., with dues capped by the covenant at $45 a year, and a three-person Architectural Control Committee appointed by the developer, The Meadows Land Corporation.

Ask us about Arbor Pointe

Tell us the question and we will get you the answer from the recorded documents.

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