What the recorded documents actually say about Bradford Shores at Knollwood in South Bend — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.
32 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.
Before you rely on this page
THREE SETS OF COVENANTS OPERATE HERE AND WHICH ONES APPLY DEPENDS ON YOUR LOT NUMBER. Every lot is subject to the main restrictions on this page. On top of that, LOTS 2-16, 102-108 and 120-123 are LAKE LOTS and carry an additional recorded declaration of their own; and LOTS 1-26 and 95-101 are VILLA LOTS and carry the Additional Covenants and Restrictions for Villas at Bradford Shores. Some lots are in both of those groups. The declaration is explicit that where an action needs approval under the main covenants AND under an additional set, BOTH approvals are required - so a lake-lot or villa-lot owner has two doors to go through, not one. Neither additional declaration was among the documents on these listings, so ask the association for the set that applies to the specific lot. Minimum house sizes and masonry requirements also vary by lot: lots 27-30, 102-108, 120-123 and 94 need masonry on 25 percent of the front elevation, while lots 1-26 and 95-101 need 50 percent.
The only perimeter fence allowed is a split rail fence, two or three rails high and no more than four feet. A mesh fence may be attached to its INSIDE face if the ACC approves the mesh's quality and design, it may not rise above the top rail, and its inner side must be partly screened with landscaping. A pool fence is separately allowed around an in-ground pool: spindles no more than an inch across with four-inch gaps, and it may enclose only the pool, its patio and a reasonable amount of landscaping - the declaration says the point is to stop a pool fence wrapping most of the lot. Anything else counts as a privacy fence: no more than six feet, only around an immediate spa or patio area, matching the architectural style of the house, and approved by the ACC in writing. No fence of any kind may run forward of the front foundation line of the house, and any variance needs ACC approval.
A shed is possible but it is counted and it is capped. No structure may be placed on a lot except as the covenants specifically allow, and the permitted list - swing sets, sheds, tents, fences, statues and outdoor artwork, pet shelters, outdoor enclosures - all need prior written permission. NO LOT MAY HAVE MORE THAN ONE detached building, though an approved in-ground pool, hot tub or swing set area does not count toward that. A detached structure over TWO HUNDRED square feet may only ever be a pool house, and only with the ACC's UNANIMOUS written consent. The ACC can require screening around it. And no detached structure may ever be used to store a vehicle that is or would be licensed or registered. Construction trailers, modular homes, barns, above-ground pools and ponds are prohibited outright.
No recreational or commercial vehicles - campers, trailers, trucks and boats are named - may be kept in open areas in this subdivision, whether on your lot or off it. NO VEHICLE OF ANY TYPE may be parked at any time in the yard of a lot. A car that is not in operating condition may not be kept anywhere except inside an enclosed garage.
No above-ground pools, no tennis courts, and no domed pool or court enclosures. An in-ground pool or a hot tub may be installed only with the ACC's written permission - and the covenant casts a wide net over what counts: ANY pool holding more than fifty gallons, or that stays substantially in place for more than 48 consecutive hours, needs ACC approval. A paddling pool left out for a long weekend is inside that wording.
Nothing may be erected, constructed, placed, maintained or altered on a lot, and the natural topography and drainage may not be changed, until the ACC has approved the plans. Plans must show the floor plan, quality of construction, materials, the outside colours, how the design sits with the houses already there, and the location against lot lines, topography and finish grade. Approval only counts IN WRITING, and the ACC may attach conditions or modifications as it sees fit; nothing may be built that does not comply fully, and no deviation is allowed without further written consent. Driveways must be at least twelve feet wide in asphalt, brick or concrete - no stone or cinder - with asphalt three inches thick and concrete four; all fireplace chimneys are masonry. Every lot carries a dusk-to-dawn post light of an ACC-approved type in front of the front setback line, and the owner keeps the bulb working. Any structure begun must be finished within a year or removed, unless the developer grants a written extension.
No above-ground AM, FM or short-wave radio antenna of any type may be erected or maintained here, and all utility service is underground and out of sight - no utility may even connect to a building except underground. Satellite dishes are named in the paragraph heading; treat the dish itself as an ACC question and get the approval in writing before an installer books a date.
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 →A minimum of FOUR trees, each at least eight feet tall and four inches in diameter, must be planted with the initial landscaping. In the designated landscape easement areas the ASSOCIATION maintains the landscaping and trees and decides what goes there at its sole discretion - it is encouraged to ask the adjoining owner but does not have to, and the duty applies even where the easement sits on a Villa Lot. Elsewhere in a protective screening area the owner maintains the planting at their own expense to keep an effective screen, and no screen planting over thirty-six inches may go between the building setback line and the front lot line. On a corner lot, nothing that blocks sight lines between two and six feet above the road may stand inside the THIRTY-FIVE foot corner triangle, or within ten feet of where a driveway meets 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 →Dogs, cats and other household pets are allowed, provided none is kept, bred or maintained for a commercial purpose and none becomes a neighborhood nuisance or hazard. A pet shelter or any pet enclosure is a structure under these covenants and needs prior written approval - and it counts against the one-detached-structure limit.
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 →A basketball hoop is not named, but the structure paragraph is drawn widely enough to catch it: a structure includes any item or group of items constructed or assembled, above ground, on the ground or in the ground, whether or not it was assembled on the lot - and only the listed structures may be placed, each with prior written permission. A swing set is on the permitted-with-approval list; a hoop would be judged the same way.
No sign of any kind may be displayed to public view on a lot, except one sign of no more than five square feet advertising the property for sale or rent, and a builder's sign of any size during the construction and sales period.
No vehicle of any type may be parked at any time in the yard of a lot - not briefly, not on the grass. Recreational and commercial vehicles may not be kept in open areas anywhere in the subdivision, on or off your own lot, and a non-operational car belongs inside an enclosed garage. Every home has an attached garage for at least two cars and no more than three, and a detached building may never be used to store a licensed vehicle.
A home occupation is allowed, but only if it is invisible: carried on entirely inside the house, by a member of the immediate family living there, clearly incidental to using the home as a home and not changing its character. No sign or display may show from outside that the building is used for anything else, no commodity may be sold on the premises, nobody may be employed who does not live there, and no mechanical or electrical equipment beyond what a normal house would have. Several are excluded by name: a barber shop, styling salon, beauty parlor, tea room, fortune-telling parlor, animal hospital, or any animal care such as dog trimming. Otherwise 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 →No lot may be used or kept as a dumping ground. Trash, garbage and other waste go in sanitary containers and any disposal equipment is kept clean. The clause that catches people: absolutely no dumping of trash, landscaping debris or animal waste is permitted on any empty lot or common area, and a violator who can be identified pays the cost of cleaning it up. Hazardous material may never be allowed to flow into the catch basins along the curbs or in the rear yards, or into any lake or retention area.
No fire may burn on any street or roadway, and burning anywhere else here needs a burn permit from the Harris Township Fire Department. Fuel storage is tight: no oil or fuel storage tank may be installed or kept on a lot, except portable government-approved containers of LP gas or gasoline for household use NOT EXCEEDING FIVE GALLONS - which is smaller than a standard barbecue cylinder, so check yours.
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.