What the recorded documents actually say about Crescent Oaks in South Bend — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.
10 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.
Before you rely on this page
THE 2013 DECLARATION ANNEXED HOME SITES 32-47, 88 AND 89 into Crescent Oaks, so those lots are governed by the same restrictions as the original 1-31 even though they came in later. Two rules here are tighter than the county norm and easy to miss: only ONE item of sporting or recreational equipment is allowed per home site, and lawn ornamentation of every kind - a flagpole included - needs written approval and is capped at one item. Minimum house sizes are small by county standards: 800 square feet for a ranch and 1,100 for everything else.
All fencing has to be PVC, aluminum or a similar maintenance-free product - wood and painted metal are not permitted at all. A back-yard perimeter fence that is not privacy in nature may be up to four feet, with the style and location approved in writing first, and perimeter fencing is allowed in the back yard only. There is one unusual way to go higher: the committee may allow a taller non-privacy back-yard fence if you have a dog that can easily clear four feet, evidenced by a signed letter from a licensed veterinarian on their own letterhead. A privacy fence up to six feet is allowed around a patio next to the house. Fencing inside a dedicated easement is at the homeowner's risk.
A detached storage or pet-shelter structure may be no more than 10 by 12 feet, goes in the rear yard, and has to match the house down to the horizontal vinyl siding and the shingles. It needs the architectural committee's written approval before construction, the committee may require screening, and it is allowed only in the area marked on the covenant's own Exhibit A. No trailer, modular or manufactured home, prebuilt home, basement, tent, shack, garage, barn or outbuilding may be lived in.
Recreational and commercial vehicles - campers, trailers, trucks and boats - may not be kept in open areas anywhere in the neighborhood, on a home site or off it.
Tennis courts and above-ground pools are prohibited, and so are temporary and inflatable pools - the covenant names all three, which closes the usual summer-pool argument. An in-ground pool is treated as an addition and goes to the architectural committee first.
Any alteration, improvement, remodel or maintenance that changes how the house looks from outside has to be submitted to and approved by the architectural control committee before work begins. A home site carries one single-family house of up to two and a half storeys, and an exception needs the committee's unanimous written approval.
Outside above-ground TV, AM, FM and short-wave antennas of any type are barred. One direct-broadcast satellite dish of no more than one meter across is allowed - one, not several. It goes where it is least visible from the street or common property if that is feasible, and the architectural committee may require shrubbery or other screening and a harmonious colour at the owner's cost, as long as that does not unreasonably impair the installation or use. The committee approves the placement in writing before it goes up.
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 →Side, front and rear yards are seeded or sodded - another ground cover needs prior written approval. Grading and seeding are done by the time you move in, or if the season will not allow it, as soon as practical and no later than June 15 after occupancy, and never in a way that hinders drainage. Drainage swales, easements and road ditches stay open and unfilled. Lawn ornamentation of all types is prohibited without prior written approval - fountains, bird feeders, gazing balls, flagpoles, benches, chairs and statuary are named - and an approved one is limited to a single item per home site.
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, as long as none is kept, bred or maintained commercially and none becomes a neighbourhood nuisance or hazard. Livestock and poultry may not be kept. Dogs go on a leash, kennels are not permitted, and a dog exercise area needs approval. A pet shelter structure is allowed in the rear yard with architectural approval, built to match the house. If your dog can clear a four-foot fence, a veterinarian's letter can get you a taller back-yard fence.
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, and any other sport or recreational equipment such as a soccer goal, swing set or sandbox, is prohibited without the architectural control committee's prior written permission as to type and location - and it counts against a cap of ONE item of sporting or recreational equipment per home site, which is tighter than most. A trampoline, swing set, sandbox, playground or hoop put up without that written approval is prohibited outright.
Apart from political campaign signs, the only sign allowed is one of no more than five square feet advertising the property for sale or rent, plus a builder's sign during the construction and sales period. A political sign comes down within twenty-four hours after the election it relates to.
Driveways must be at least twelve feet wide and built of asphalt at least three inches thick, brick, or concrete at least four inches; stone and cinder are not allowed and a circular drive may be as narrow as eight feet. Grass pavers and other landscaping devices are allowed for a driveway with the committee's prior written permission - a rare allowance in this county. Minibikes, motorcycles, go-carts, snowmobiles and similar motor-driven vehicles may not be operated anywhere in the neighbourhood, except a licensed vehicle driven by a licensed person on a dedicated public road.
A home occupation is allowed if it involves only a member of the immediate family living in the house, stays entirely inside it, and remains clearly secondary to living there. No sign or display showing the building is used for anything else, nothing sold on the premises, nobody employed from outside the immediate family. A barber shop, styling salon, beauty parlour, tea room, fortune-telling parlour, animal hospital or any animal care such as dog trimming is named and excluded, and no commercial, business or professional office use may be carried on on a residential home site.
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 home site may be used as a dumping ground for rubbish. Trash, garbage, weeds and other waste are kept only in sanitary containers, and any incinerator or storage equipment kept clean and sanitary. Oil and fuel storage tanks are not allowed on a home site at all, except portable government-approved containers for LP gas, gasoline or similar household materials.
Stricter than the usual street-only ban. No fire may burn on any street or roadway, and the covenant adds a second sentence: no open fires are allowed on any home site. A fire pit in the back yard is an open fire, so ask the board before you build one.
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 flagpole counts as lawn ornamentation here, so it is prohibited without the architectural committee's prior written approval, and an approved one would use up the single ornamentation item a home site is allowed.
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.