What the recorded documents actually say about Greenfield Farms in Mishawaka — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.
16 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.
Before you rely on this page
THE GOVERNING BODY IS BLAIR HILLS, NOT A GREENFIELD FARMS ASSOCIATION. The 1974 declaration describes the land it covers in an Exhibit A that was not attached to these listings, so it does not spell out its sections by name - but the association's own 2023 rules name GREENFIELD FARMS directly, as one of the two areas with private streets, which is how this page is anchored. The declaration also allows further land to be annexed over time, so the community's boundary has moved. If you are buying here, ask the association to confirm the property is within Blair Hills and to send the Supplementary Covenants for this section, which the rules reference and which were not on file. Two neighbouring Mishawaka subdivisions, Governours Square and Woodridge, carry these same Blair Hills documents on their listings but are not named in them; they are held rather than published for that reason.
A fence - or a planting used as a fence - needs the Architectural Review Board's approval before installation, and the rules are unusually specific about what will get it. Fencing may only go around the BACK yard, never the sides or the front, and never closer to the road than the front setback line. Split rail, powder-coated metal and vinyl are the recommended materials, three to four feet high, in a colour from the approved catalogue the association keeps at its office. CHAIN LINK AND GALVANIZED FENCING, INCLUDING GATES, ARE PROHIBITED and will not be approved. A six-foot privacy fence is permitted only immediately around a concrete or wood patio or deck - not on or near the lot's perimeter. If only one side of the fence is finished, the finished side must face outward. Nothing will be approved that unduly blocks sight lines for traffic or for other residents.
A new detached structure needs the Board's approval BEFORE any work is undertaken, on the Architectural Review Board's own resident request form, with the height, width, length, size, shape, colour and where exactly it will sit on the lot.
Overnight parking of every vehicle and all recreational equipment must be in a garage, a driveway, a screened enclosure the Architectural Review Board has approved, or an area the association designates - wherever possible. Beyond emergency repairs, no owner may store, repair or restore any vehicle, boat or trailer on any part of the property except in the areas the association designates for it.
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 →Any exterior addition, alteration, modification or change to an existing building, and any new detached structure, must have the Board's approval before work begins. Requests go in writing on the Architectural Review Board's resident request form and must give height, width, length, size, shape, colour and position on the lot. What gets approved is bounded: the work must be compatible with the original building's design character, materials must already exist on the parent structure or be compatible with the community's architecture, and an exterior colour change is approved only if it is in harmony with the other homes or close to the builder's original colours. Two useful pieces of procedure: if the Review Board does not reply within THIRTY DAYS the request may be treated as approved - except for anything the rules expressly prohibit - and a refusal can be appealed to the BHCA Board, which may reverse it by majority vote. Board approval does not replace a municipal building permit, and holding a permit does not replace Board approval.
A satellite dish of TWENTY INCHES or smaller is allowed to be attached, except where the particular parcel prohibits it. Anything larger is not covered by that permission.
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 →Trees, hedges and shrubs on a lot that block sight lines for traffic must be cut back or removed BY THE OWNER - and if the owner does not, the maintenance staff will do it and charge them for it. Any planting intended to work as a fence needs Architectural Review Board approval first, and will be refused if it obstructs sight lines. Exterior lighting must be installed or aimed so it does not become an annoyance.
Only a mailbox mounted on a WOODEN POST meeting the Architectural Review Board's design standards is permitted - the sole exception being mail depositories that stand on U.S. Post Office property.
Every pet must be on a leash when outside the resident's own premises and must not become a nuisance to other residents. A pet may not be allowed to defecate on any resident's yard or on common ground, and the owner is responsible for removing it from either.
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 sign may be displayed in public view on any common area without the Architectural Review Board's written consent, with two exceptions: customary traffic signs, and a real estate sign of NOT MORE THAN FOUR SQUARE FEET advertising the lot or house for sale. Four square feet is smaller than the five most neighborhoods allow - worth checking your sign before it goes in.
PARKING ON THE PRIVATE STREETS IS PROHIBITED AND SUBJECT TO TOWING AT THE RESIDENT'S OWN EXPENSE, and the rules name Greenfield Farms as one of the two sections this applies to. Overnight parking belongs in a garage, a driveway, an approved screened enclosure or an association-designated area. Every motor vehicle must be kept in proper operating condition so it is not a nuisance by noise or exhaust. Trail bikes, mopeds, motorcycles, dune buggies and snowmobiles must stay on paved streets and parking lots and are expressly barred from the walking paths and all common areas - as are horses and other riding animals.
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 →Except for emergency repairs, no owner may store, repair or restore any vehicle, boat or trailer on any part of the property, other than in an area the association has designated for that purpose.
Trash and garbage containers may not be left conspicuous except on collection days, and the rule states the standard plainly: the containers cannot be seen from the street. The association cites the city code behind it - it is a public nuisance for trash, garbage or recycling containers to be left on the sidewalk, on the strip between street and sidewalk, or in the front or side yard, except for the 24 hours immediately before and after collection. Burning trash, including leaves and other material, is not permitted.
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 →Permanent outdoor clothes-drying devices are not permitted. Portable drying equipment is allowed during the day but must be taken in each evening.
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.