← HOA answers

Forest Hills West

What the recorded documents actually say about Forest Hills West in Granger — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.

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

Before you rely on this page

This is SECTION ONE, recorded in 1980, and approvals under it run to Samuel and Rose Percowitz or a representative they designate rather than to a committee - so who holds that role today is a question for the association. Forest Hills Park is a separate neighborhood with its own page and its own covenants; the two share the Forest Hills Park Association and Recreation Area, which is why that name appears here. Minimum house sizes are 1,800 square feet for a ranch and 2,100 for anything taller. Lots are on individual septic systems.

What you can build and change

Conditional

Fences

Only an ornamental or architectural fence may go up, and the location, height and material have to be approved before it is erected. No fence or wall may run from the rear of the house toward the street at all. One quirk that runs in the owner's favour: if the approver does not answer within thirty days, approval is no longer required.

Paragraphs 8 and 6
Conditional

Sheds & outbuildings

A shed is allowed only if its exterior design is harmonious with the house AND it is no more than 100 square feet. No hut, dog house, shack, barn or other outbuilding of a temporary nature may be erected at all, and no trailer, basement or garage may be lived in.

Paragraph 12
Conditional

RVs, boats & trailers

Mobile homes, house trailers, boats, boat trailers, motor homes, camping trailers, recreational vehicles and their trailers may not be parked on a lot for more than 72 hours. Snowmobiles, motorcycles and dune buggies may not be used or parked on any lot or street at all.

Paragraph 12
Not stated

Swimming pools & hot tubs

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

Exterior changes & additions

No building may be put up, placed or altered until the plans, specifications and a site plan are approved in writing, on materials, how the exterior design and colour sit with existing houses, and placement against the topography and finish grade. If no answer comes within thirty days, approval is not required. A lot carries one detached single-family house of no more than three storeys, built of good-grade materials, with an attached garage for up to three cars. Every dwelling also carries a post light matching the others in type, height and setback.

Paragraphs 3, 2 and 9
✗ Not allowed

Satellite dishes & antennas

No exterior antenna may be erected. The covenant was written in 1980, before satellite dishes were common, and does not mention them; federal rules on over-the-air reception devices also protect a dish under one meter on property in your own exclusive use and control, so ask before assuming the blanket ban reaches one.

Paragraph 12
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

Grading, landscaping and seeding or sodding have to be finished within two months of the house being completed, and done so they do not hinder drainage or the natural flow of surface water; drainage swales and road ditches stay open and unfilled. And there is a species ban: no poplar, willow, cottonwood or Chinese elm may be planted, raised, set out or left standing on any lot. During construction, heavy trucks may not be run over trees or shrubbery on that lot or a neighbouring one.

Paragraph 10, with Paragraph 14
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

One pet, not several. The covenant allows one domesticated dog or cat or other household pet, housed inside the residence, and none may be kept, bred or maintained for any commercial purpose. The animal may not roam onto anyone else's lot and has to be leashed at all times off its owner's lot. Livestock and poultry may not be kept, and no dog house may be erected.

Paragraph 16, with Paragraph 12
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.

We can find out →
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 →
Not stated

Yard signs

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

Street parking

Driveways and parking areas have to be hard-surface pavement for their full length and width. Snowmobiles, motorcycles and dune buggies may not be used or parked on any lot or street.

Paragraph 4, with Paragraph 12
✗ Not allowed

Running a business from home

No commercial, business or professional office use may be conducted on a lot, and no noxious or offensive trade or activity that becomes a nuisance or annoyance to the neighbourhood. The developers were the only exception, for sales and promotion.

Paragraph 11
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 allowed

Vehicle repair in the driveway

No lot may be used for the storage of old lumber, cars, materials or debris that would make it look unsightly.

Paragraph 13
Conditional

Trash & recycling containers

Bins stay out of sight here. Incinerators, garbage cans, barrels and similar equipment have to be either inside a permanent structure or of the concealed type and kept underground, and no ashes or rubbish may be left in public view. Trash goes out in an enclosed container and only a reasonable time before pickup. Fuel tanks have to be buried or concealed.

Paragraph 15, with Paragraph 13
✗ Not allowed

Grilling & outdoor cooking

There may be no open burning of any object on any lot, except while the house is being built.

Paragraph 15
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 documentRestrictive Covenants for Forest Hills West, Section One, St. Joseph County, Indiana
Recorded asRecorded 1980-09-09 as document 8014816
Declarants: Samuel Percowitz and Rose Percowitz
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 againstfour separate scans came down on different listings and read the same paragraph for paragraph
The associationMembership here is a choice, not automatic, and that is unusual. Every lot in Forest Hills West is ELIGIBLE for membership in the Forest Hills Park Association and Recreation Area, and on joining becomes subject to its annual dues, assessments and initiation fee - which then become a lien on the lot. Lots the developers still owned were exempt. So the association that governs the recreation area is the neighbouring Forest Hills Park's, and whether a given lot is in it is a question to ask rather than assume.

Ask us about Forest Hills West

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

We’ll get you an answer — usually the same day.