← HOA answers

Fernwood at Cleveland

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

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

Before you rely on this page

Covers lots 1 through 61. This is the Section Two filing; other sections may have their own.

What you can build and change

Conditional

Fences

A fence may not come forward of the rear foundation line of the house. The only perimeter fencing allowed is split rail two rails high up to four feet, or see-through chain link up to 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 in writing, unless a written variance is granted. Hedges, shrubbery and trees are not caught by this.

Paragraph 9 - Fences
✗ Not allowed

Sheds & outbuildings

No detached building is allowed anywhere in the subdivision. Tool sheds, storage sheds and outbuildings of any type are out, with the single exception of a construction trailer while the house is being built.

Paragraph 11 - Detached Buildings, with Paragraph 5 - Temporary Structures
Conditional

RVs, boats & trailers

Mobile homes, house trailers, boats, boat trailers, motor homes, camping trailers and recreational vehicles may not be parked on a lot longer than forty-eight hours.

Paragraph 5 - Temporary Structures
Conditional

Swimming pools & hot tubs

Tennis courts and above-ground pools are not permitted. Another kind of pool may be built only after prior written approval from the architectural committee, and it has to have appropriate fencing.

Paragraph 13 - Tennis Courts and Pools
Conditional

Exterior changes & additions

Nothing may be built, maintained or altered, and the natural topography or drainage may not be changed, until the builder, the construction plans and specifications, and the landscaping plan have all been approved in writing by the architectural committee. A lot may carry one single-family house of up to two and a half storeys with an attached garage for two to three cars; an exception needs the committee's unanimous written approval.

Paragraph 3 - Architectural Control, with Paragraph 2(C) Single Family Dwelling
Conditional

Satellite dishes & antennas

Outside above-ground television, AM, FM and short-wave antennas and earth receiving stations are not allowed. Each lot may have one satellite dish, but never in the front or side yard, and its size and location have to be approved by the architectural committee. 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 14 - Satellite Dishes, Signal Towers, Television and Radio Antennas
Not stated

Solar panels

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

Landscaping, trees & gardens

A landscaping plan has to be approved before anything is built. Side, front and rear yards are planted with grass seed, sod or an approved ground cover within 120 days of the house being finished or occupied. A vegetable garden needs architectural committee approval. On a corner lot nothing between two and six feet above the roadway may block the sight triangle.

Paragraph 3, Paragraph 2(D) Completion Date, Paragraph 5 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

Household pets are allowed as long as none is kept or bred commercially and none becomes a neighbourhood nuisance. 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, and a cat has to stay on its owner's lot.

Paragraph 8
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

No sign of any kind may be displayed to public view, with two exceptions: one sign of no more than five square feet advertising the property for sale, and a builder's signage of any size during the construction and sales period.

Paragraph 7 - Signs
Conditional

Street parking

Driveways must be at least sixteen feet wide, run the full length from garage to street, and be concrete at least four inches thick. Stone and cinder driveways are not allowed. Recreational vehicles and boats cannot sit on a lot more than forty-eight hours, and a lot may not be used to store cars, old lumber, firewood or debris.

Paragraph 6 - Driveways, with Paragraph 5
Conditional

Running a business from home

A home occupation is allowed if it is run entirely inside the house by a member of the immediate family living there, and stays clearly secondary to living there. Nothing outside may show the house is used for anything else, nothing may be sold on the property, and nobody outside the immediate family may be employed.

Paragraph 2(G) - Home Occupations
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 for rubbish, leaves or debris. Trash and garbage have to be kept in sanitary containers and any incinerator or storage equipment kept clean and sanitary. Grass clippings are named in the storage restriction too.

Paragraph 15 - Garbage and Refuse Disposal, with Paragraph 5
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 Covenants, Restrictions, Limitations and Easements for Fernwood at Cleveland, Section Two, Clay Township, St. Joseph County, Indiana
Recorded asExecuted 1999-12-22 by Alway Development Corp.
Recorded instrument 9326476
How it was readRead directly from the document’s own text.
Checked againstRE-CHECKED 2026-09-23: CLEAN. The amendment check flagged 'revised', which here appears only in the CPI escalation clause for the assessment cap. No amending instrument is on file.
The associationAn Architectural Control Committee appointed by the developer, Alway Development Corp., approves the builder, the construction plans and the landscaping plan before anything is built.

Ask us about Fernwood at Cleveland

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