What the recorded documents actually say about Haines Lexinton Landing in Elkhart — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.
15 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.
Before you rely on this page
TWO RECORDED INSTRUMENTS GOVERN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, AND WHICH ONES APPLY TO YOU DEPENDS ON THE HOME. Read this before the answers below.
The subdivision-wide document is the Amended Protective Restrictions, Covenants, Limitations and Easements for Haines' Lexington Landing, approved by the members on July 10, 2021 and recorded in Elkhart County on December 2, 2021 as instrument 2021-32360. It runs to thirty-five numbered sections and it says in terms that it supersedes all prior versions - the original 1987 covenants recorded by the developer, and the 1991 and 2020 amendments. It applies to every lot, and it is where most of the answers below come from.
The second document is a Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions recorded in June 2024 as instrument 2024-10027 for the twin villas built on Lot 2, off Haines Drive. It is fifty-one pages with more than forty restrictions of its own, and it says the property remains subject to the restrictions of record - so for those villas BOTH instruments apply. Where the two say different things, the answer below says so.
ONE PLACE THEY GENUINELY CONFLICT. The subdivision covenants say no home based business or commercial enterprise may be maintained on any lot except lot 1. The villas declaration permits a defined home occupation on the usual conditions. If that matters to you, put it to the association and to a lawyer rather than relying on either document alone.
WHAT IS NOT HERE. Neither association's by-laws is on file, and both bodies may adopt rules, guidelines and fines outside the recorded text. The subdivision covenants fix no dues figure. Anything recorded since 2024 would not appear here. The recorded copies are scans of paper rather than digital text, so individual words can be misread in conversion, which is why each answer carries the document's own wording.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE YOU RELY ON IT. Ask your title company which of these two instruments is recorded against the particular home, get both associations' by-laws and current dues, and ask about the architectural committee's current guidelines - in this neighborhood almost everything outside the house goes through a committee.
Fences are allowed and the permitted types are listed by name. Across the subdivision the stated goal is fencing harmonious with the architecture; it must be professionally installed, kept in good repair, and every fence, its dimensions and its position need the architectural control committee's and the board's written approval, unless a written variance is given. The permitted perimeter types are a split rail three rails high up to four feet; the same lined with vinyl coated chain link, up to four feet; or an approved colour aluminium fence in wrought iron style with no privacy slats and a minimum gap between rails, up to six feet. No wooden fence other than split rail is permitted. Lots 1 through 9 may also use an approved vinyl coated chain link fence up to four feet, or a PVC privacy fence up to eight feet on the back side and six feet on the others. Separately, a PVC privacy fence up to six feet may go around a patio next to the house if it complements the style of the home and is approved in writing before construction. For the twin villas on Lot 2 the 2024 declaration adds its own rules: no fence at all between the front property line and the front building setback line, no fence without prior written committee approval, and a fence must sit on, within six inches of, or at least thirty-six inches away from a rear or side property line. Sight lines at corners and driveways are protected separately.
An ordinary garden or storage shed is not among the detached buildings this neighborhood allows, and that is worth knowing before you buy. The subdivision covenants say no detached building is allowed other than one to house swimming pool apparatus, or a boathouse set on the river for a river lot. Where one is allowed it must be quality construction, kept attractive and neat, blend with the house, and be submitted to the committee and board for written approval before work starts, and the committee may require protective landscape screening. The written guidelines cap it at two hundred fifty square feet and eight feet of wall height, require stick-built construction with no prefabricated buildings, windows matching the house, siding and shingles matching the house, and only one detached structure per lot; on a river lot nothing may go within fifty feet of the rear line except a boathouse on the river. Exceptions need the committee, the board and the consent of all neighbouring owners. For the twin villas on Lot 2 the 2024 declaration is blunter: sheds, storage sheds and dog houses not directly connected to the house are prohibited, with a permitted exception for a pool house, gazebo or pavilion on a proper foundation, matching the house and approved by the committee.
Recreational and commercial vehicles may not be kept or stored in open areas, and the covenants name campers, trailers, trucks, all-terrain vehicles, boats, jet skis and snowmobiles. The clause reaches open areas off the lot as well as on it, which is broader than most vehicle rules. It carries one express exception in its own words: recreational vehicles for cleaning, loading and unloading. It never defines an open area and never mentions a garage, so one kept inside a closed garage is not addressed by that wording. For the twin villas on Lot 2 the 2024 declaration is explicit about the garage: trucks of a ton or larger, campers, trailers, motor homes, boats, snowmobiles, wave runners, junk or inoperable cars and similar vehicles may not be parked or stored on a lot except within a closed garage. Ask the association how the open areas rule is applied before you rely on it.
An in-ground pool is allowed with written approval; an above ground pool is not, with two named exceptions. The subdivision covenants prohibit above ground pools except hot tubs and children's wading pools, and say in-ground pools, tennis courts and other recreational courts may not be built until the plans and specifications have been approved in writing by the architectural control committee, with any additional lighting for them approved by the association as well. A building to house pool equipment is one of the only detached structures permitted. For the twin villas on Lot 2 the 2024 declaration says only permanent, in-ground, professionally constructed pools approved by the committee are allowed; the submission must include landscape plans; the pool must be sited to minimise the effect on neighbours and must be enclosed by a fence that obstructs unauthorised access or have an automatic cover. Under that declaration a hot tub also needs committee approval, while a temporary pool eighteen inches deep or less counts as children's play equipment and does not.
Almost everything outside goes through a committee here, and in this neighborhood the board signs off as well. No building or other structure may be erected, constructed, placed, maintained or altered on a lot, and the natural grade or drainage may not be altered, until the builder and the construction plans have been approved by the architectural control committee and the board. Plans must show floor plan, quality of construction materials, outside colours, how the design sits with existing houses, location against lot lines, topography, finish grades and drainage, and the committee may require roof pitches, porch and trim details. Two sets or a PDF go in, one is kept and one returned; prefabricated, manufactured, modular and mobile homes are not permitted; a refusal comes in writing with reasons, and may be appealed to the board within fifteen days. The committee, with board approval, may waive a requirement or permit an alternative where it is satisfied that is consistent with the purpose of the covenants. For the twin villas on Lot 2 the 2024 declaration requires committee approval for any lot improvement of any type, on a written application with a plot plan or survey and drawings, and no approval is binding without a committee member's signature - though it exempts portable fire pits, portable storage boxes no more than four feet tall and not visible from the street, replacement plantings, and up to twelve shrubs or three trees.
Dishes are capped by size and other antennas are barred. All utility service, including cable television, runs underground and out of sight. No outside above ground television, AM, FM or short wave radio antenna of any type may be erected or kept on a lot or structure. A satellite dish is allowed only up to thirty inches across, must meet existing safety codes and laws, and must be placed so far as feasible on the roof or close to the house. For the twin villas on Lot 2 the 2024 declaration goes further: exterior antennae including satellite dishes are prohibited unless approved in writing by the architectural control committee, which may make rules requiring them to be as inconspicuous as possible from the street, and it says openly that it intends to regulate them to the fullest extent the law allows. Federal rules on antenna installation bear directly on clauses like these, which is a question for a lawyer rather than for this page.
This answer comes only from the declaration covering the twin villas on Lot 2; the subdivision-wide covenants never mention solar panels in either direction. Under that villas declaration, solar panels are not permitted on a house unless the panel is approved by the architectural control committee, and in reviewing a request the committee is to consider landscaping, location, size, aesthetics and how visible the panel would be. No standard is set beyond those factors. Indiana has enacted law limiting how far an association may restrict solar devices, so how this clause applies today is worth asking a lawyer or the association about - and if your home is elsewhere in the subdivision, the recorded covenants are silent and the architectural approval rule for exterior work is what would apply.
Landscaping is required, timed, and in one part of the neighborhood done for you. Across the subdivision, landscaping must be installed within twelve months of the house being finished and kept neat, trimmed and healthy; no lot may be overgrown or weed infested and grass height may not exceed city codes; and the yards must be planted with grass seed, sod or ground cover within one hundred twenty days of completion or occupancy. An underground lawn sprinkler system is required within one hundred twenty days of a house being finished, capable of watering all cultivated areas and kept in working order - existing owners were given three years to comply and a new owner of an existing home one hundred twenty days from occupancy. Adjoining lots in the same ownership are treated as lawn and held to the same standard unless actively listed for sale, and vacant lots must be kept free of rubbish and weeds with dead trees and shrubs removed; after ten days written notice the board may hire the work at the owner's expense. No landscape screen planting over seventy-two inches is allowed between the front setback line and the front lot line, or within thirty feet of the rear line on lots abutting the river. For the twin villas on Lot 2, the 2024 declaration puts weekly mowing, regular fertilization, sprinkler maintenance and snow clearing on the association instead, and requires the owner to landscape within sixty days of the house being finished to an approved lot development plan.
Mailboxes are regulated in both instruments. The subdivision covenants say a mailbox must be placed for easy access for mail in accordance with United States Postal Service requirements, maintained to be aesthetically pleasing, and mounted in the ground. For the twin villas on Lot 2 the 2024 declaration is stricter: every mailbox and post must be approved by the architectural control committee and be standard as to size, location, post, design, height, material, composition and colour; the builder installs the first one at the owner's expense, and the owner maintains, repairs, replaces and paints it to match all the others.
Household pets are allowed and the leash rule is firm. No animals, livestock or poultry may be raised, bred or kept on a lot except that dogs, cats or other household pets may be kept, provided they are not kept, bred or maintained for any commercial purpose and are not allowed to become a neighborhood nuisance, annoyance or hazard. The covenants say the practice of allowing pets to leave the premises unleashed is strictly forbidden, and that a pet is permitted only when confined to the owner's own property or walking off it on a leash. Owners must clean up waste and repair any damage their pet causes. The nuisance section separately names barking dogs. For the twin villas on Lot 2 the 2024 declaration adds two things: no pet may spend the night outside the house, and no dangerous or potentially dangerous pet, which it illustrates with large wild cats, wolves, alligators, poisonous or long snakes and poisonous spiders, may be kept without the unanimous consent of the board, which the members may overturn by majority vote. No number limit appears in either document.
This is the answer most likely to change a buying decision here, so read it carefully. The subdivision covenants say no lease or rental of any dwelling may be entered into without the prior approval of the board, which is not to be unreasonably withheld for extenuating circumstances - and then add, flatly, that no dwelling can be purchased or built to be rented. So renting out a home you live in is possible with the board's approval, and buying one here as a rental investment is what the sentence is aimed at. The covenants set no term, no cap on the number of rentals and no registration procedure, and the board's own by-laws are not on file, so how approval is sought and judged is a question for the association. The 2024 declaration for the twin villas on Lot 2 contains no leasing restriction of its own, which means for those homes the subdivision rule is the one that governs.
This answer comes only from the declaration covering the twin villas on Lot 2; the subdivision-wide covenants never mention basketball. Under that villas declaration a basketball goal may be installed on a lot next to the driveway without committee approval, provided it is permanent and has a clear fiberglass or glass backboard supported by black posts. No goal or backboard may hang from or be fixed to the house or the garage, and temporary or portable goals are not permitted at all. Basketball courts, along with tennis, racquetball, paddleball and squash courts and other sporting facilities, are not permitted. Elsewhere in the subdivision the covenants treat recreational courts as needing written architectural approval and say nothing about a goal, so ask the association.
Signs are limited but the list of what is allowed is longer than most. Across the subdivision: one sign of not more than five square feet advertising the property for sale or rent, a builder's sign of any size during construction and sales, and signs required by legal proceedings. Political signs may not go up more than thirty days before the election they relate to, must come down within five days after it, and may not exceed three in total. Security signs and underground electric fence signs are allowed up to one foot square. Temporary signs are permitted for lawn applications, school participation, celebrations, garage sales and the like. The association may identify a non-complying sign to the owner and remove it without liability. For the twin villas on Lot 2 the 2024 declaration sets a smaller cap, one sign of not more than four square feet for advertising a home for sale, plus political signs.
Overnight parking has to be in a garage or on the driveway, and what sits on the driveway has to run. The subdivision covenants say no motor vehicle of any kind may be kept, stored or otherwise maintained on any street, lot or lawn area; all vehicles parked overnight must be located entirely within a garage or driveway; and all vehicles parked on a driveway must be properly licensed and drivable. Recreational and commercial vehicles have their own rule about open areas. For the twin villas on Lot 2 the 2024 declaration adds that commercial vehicles and trucks may not be parked on a lot unless kept in the garage completely out of view, that trucks of a ton or larger, campers, trailers, motor homes, boats, snowmobiles, wave runners and junk or inoperable cars may only be kept in a closed garage, that no vehicle may be regularly parked on an unpaved area, and that no vehicle may block a public sidewalk, mail delivery or a driveway.
The two recorded instruments here genuinely disagree, and a buyer should know that before committing. The subdivision-wide covenants say that apart from lot 1, lot 2 and the designated park lots, no lot may be used for any purpose other than a single-family residence, and that except for lot 1 no home based business or commercial enterprise may be maintained on the property. That is a flat prohibition with no approval route. The 2024 declaration for the twin villas on Lot 2 takes the opposite approach and permits a home occupation that complies with applicable law, is conducted entirely within the house and carried on only by a member of the immediate family living there, is clearly incidental and secondary to living there, and involves no exterior sign or display, nothing sold on the premises, nobody employed from outside the household, and no manufacturing or assembly - while naming child day care, a barber shop, a styling salon, an animal hospital and animal care such as dog trimming as never permitted. Because the villa lots stay subject to the restrictions of record as well as to their own declaration, this is one to put to the association and to a lawyer rather than to settle from either document alone.
Neither instrument names short-term or nightly letting or any platform. What the subdivision covenants do is require the board's prior approval for any lease or rental of a dwelling, which is not to be unreasonably withheld for extenuating circumstances, and then state that no dwelling can be purchased or built to be rented. On that wording, buying a home here to run as a short-term rental is what the second sentence bars, and any letting at all is something the board decides on first. The covenants set no minimum stay, so there is no length of visit that is automatically safe. If short-term letting is part of your plan, get the board's position in writing before you buy.
Neither instrument uses the word repair, but both reach a car that is not running and the parts that come off it. The subdivision covenants require every vehicle parked on a driveway to be properly licensed and drivable, and bar keeping or maintaining a motor vehicle on any street, lot or lawn area; they also define waste to include automotive and other mechanical parts not in use and specifically forbid storing such items outside. For the twin villas on Lot 2 the 2024 declaration says junk or inoperable cars may not be parked or stored on a lot except within a closed garage. Between them, the permitted place for a project car and its parts is inside a garage. What neither document says anything about is working on a running, licensed car on your own driveway on a weekend.
Containers only, and out for a short window. The subdivision covenants say trash, garbage and other waste may be kept only in sanitary containers, and may not be kept outside except in sanitary containers within twenty-four hours of city collection; the storage and disposal equipment has to be kept clean and sanitary; waste is defined to include discarded furniture, appliances, building materials, tools, toys, automotive and other mechanical parts and household fixtures not in use, and exterior storage of those is specifically forbidden. No lot may be used as a dumping ground. For the twin villas on Lot 2 the 2024 declaration requires containers to be kept out of public view from the street, in the garage or behind a committee-approved fence or screen, except for up to twenty-four hours before and twelve hours after collection, and provides for the association to arrange collection if the city or county stops doing so.
The subdivision covenants never mention a grill, a barbecue or cooking in either direction. What they have is a burning rule aimed at rubbish: no burning outdoors of household trash, garbage, yard waste or other waste is permitted. On the face of that wording a contained cooking grill is not what the sentence reaches. The 2024 declaration for the twin villas on Lot 2 points the same way twice over: its burning clause allows burning that complies with the law on outdoor burning, its fuel tank restriction expressly excepts gas storage tanks used solely with gas grills for grilling or cooking food, and its approval rules exempt portable fire pits from needing committee approval. Read together, grilling is contemplated rather than restricted; nothing here says so for the subdivision as a whole, so if it matters, ask the association.
This one depends on which part of the neighborhood you are in. The declaration covering the twin villas on Lot 2 bars them outright in a single sentence: no clotheslines may be erected on any lot. The subdivision-wide covenants never mention a clothesline or hanging laundry in either direction, so for a home elsewhere in Haines' Lexington Landing the recorded text is silent - though anything installed outside would still meet the architectural approval rule, and the covenants require lots to be kept neat and free of anything that becomes a neighborhood nuisance. Check which declaration is recorded against the home you are looking at.
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 →This answer comes from the declaration covering the twin villas on Lot 2; the subdivision-wide covenants say nothing about window coverings. Under that declaration all interior window coverings must be things specifically designed as window treatments - it names blinds, shutters and drapes - and sheets, towels, paper and similar items not designed as window treatments may not be used to cover a window. A companion section adds that curtains, blinds or other window coverings must be tasteful and commensurate with the architecture, design and appearance of the homes, that a storm door must be painted to match or complement the house and be approved by the committee, and that unfinished aluminium doors and windows are not allowed.
Tell us the question and we will get you the answer from the recorded documents.