What the recorded documents actually say about Autumn Ridge in Mishawaka — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.
14 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.
Before you rely on this page
Phase I only. Paragraph 1 of the declaration and its recording stamp are missing from the scan - the text begins at paragraph 2, Home Occupations, and runs unbroken through paragraph 29 and the signature page. A separate neighborhood also called Autumn Ridge exists in Elkhart County and is tracked under its own slug; do not read one for the other.
Any fence needs the Design Review Board's written approval before it goes up. The covenant sets no approved height, style or material of its own, so the approval is the whole test and the document says nothing about what the Board will accept. One separate limit applies on corner lots: no fence, wall, hedge or shrub between two and six feet above the roadway may sit in the sight triangle formed by the two street lines and a line joining them twenty-five feet back from the intersection, and the same limit applies within ten feet of where a driveway meets the street.
Outbuildings are out. No structure of a temporary character - the covenant lists trailer, basement, tent, shack, garage, barn or other outbuilding - may be moved onto, assembled or built on a lot, or used on a lot at any time for any use. The one carve-out named is a gazebo, which may be permitted but requires the Design Review Board's prior written approval.
Campers, trailers, trucks and boats may not be kept in open areas of the subdivision, and the covenant reaches open areas off your lot as well as on it. There is no driveway or parking-pad exception written anywhere in the document. Every house also has to have a full size attached garage capable of storing at least one car but no more than two, so covered storage here is capped at two.
Above-ground pools are banned outright - none may be built or kept on any lot in the subdivision. The covenant says nothing specific about in-ground pools, but the architectural control paragraph requires Design Review Board approval before any structure is built or a lot's natural topography or drainage is altered, which is the gate an in-ground pool and its grading would go through. Metal swing sets and similar metal apparatus are permitted but have to be kept in attractive, rust-free condition at all times.
Nothing is built, placed, altered or regraded until the Design Review Board approves the plans. The submission has to show floor plan, quality of construction, materials, outside colors, how the design sits with existing structures, mailbox design, landscape and outdoor lighting plans, and location with respect to lot lines, topography and finished grade. Three complete sets go in; two stay in the developer's office and one comes back to the builder. Approval or disapproval is in writing, nothing may be built that does not comply fully with the approved plans, and any change or deviation from approved plans needs the Board's prior written consent. The approved drawings also go in with the building permit application - the covenant says no permit should issue without them. Minimum floor area, excluding one-story open porches, garages and basements, is 1,100 square feet for a ranch and 1,400 for a multi-level or two-story. Driveways run at least twelve feet wide in concrete or brick, and concrete has to be at least four inches thick. Each lot carries one exterior light post in the front yard at the owner's expense, set at least fifteen feet back from the right of way line.
As written this is a flat ban: no outside above-ground television, AM, FM or short-wave radio antennas and no satellite dishes may be put up or kept on any lot or structure in the subdivision. All public utility service, cable television included, runs underground and out of sight. Federal over-the-air reception device rules can limit how far a private covenant restricts a small dish placed in an area the homeowner owns or controls, so confirm the current federal rule and ask whoever reviews plans today before treating the ban as the final word.
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 →All landscaping has to be kept in well manicured condition at all times. Landscape and outdoor lighting plans are part of what goes to the Design Review Board with a build. On a corner lot, hedges and shrub plantings between two and six feet above the roadway may not block the sight triangle, and a tree there has to be limbed up high enough not to obstruct it.
Mailbox design is one of the items the plans submitted to the Design Review Board have to show, so the box is approved along with the rest of the exterior rather than left to the owner. The covenant sets no material, height or style of its own.
Dogs, cats and other household pets are allowed as long as they are not kept, bred or maintained for any commercial purpose. Anything outside that household-pet exception - animals, livestock or poultry of any kind - may not be raised, bred or kept on a lot. The covenant sets no number limit and says nothing about kennels, runs or pet shelters. A dog-related business is separately ruled out: the home occupation paragraph names an animal hospital and any form of animal care or treatment such as dog trimming as uses that can never qualify.
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 →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 →One sign of not more than five square feet advertising the property for sale or for rent is permitted. Beyond that, no sign of any kind may be displayed to public view on a lot - the covenant gives no exception for political, security, contractor or seasonal signs. Builders may use signs to advertise during the construction and sales period, and the developer reserved the right to put up whatever signs it wants to promote and sell lots and houses in the development.
Vehicles may only be parked on the paved portion of the lot - never on the grass or a landscaped area, at any time. Every house has to have a full size attached garage holding at least one car and no more than two, and driveways run at least twelve feet wide in concrete or brick. Campers, trailers, trucks and boats may not be kept in open areas on or off the lot. The covenant says nothing about parking on the street.
A home occupation is permitted if it is conducted entirely inside the house, participated in solely by a member of the immediate family living there, and is clearly incidental and secondary to using the house as a dwelling without changing its character. Four conditions come with it: no sign or display that shows from the outside that the house is used for anything but a dwelling, no commodity sold on the premises, no employee other than an immediate family member living there, and no mechanical or electrical equipment used. The covenant names uses that can never count as a home occupation: a barber shop, styling salon, beauty parlor, tea room, fortune-telling parlor, animal hospital, or any form of animal care or treatment such as dog trimming. Outside that exception, a lot may be used only as a single-family residence.
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 →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 →Trash, garbage and other waste may not be kept except in sanitary containers, and no lot may be used or maintained as a dumping ground for rubbish. Incinerators and any other storage or disposal equipment have to be kept in clean and sanitary condition. Burning is banned separately and flatly - no waste, leaves, trees or other debris may be burned anywhere in the subdivision. The covenant does not say where containers have to be stored between pickups or whether they may be visible from the street.
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 →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 →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 →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 →Tell us the question and we will get you the answer from the recorded documents.