← HOA answers

Heather Lake

What the recorded documents actually say about Heather Lake in Osceola — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.

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

Before you rely on this page

LAKE LOTS ARE DIFFERENT, and sharply so: NO fence of any kind is permitted on a lake lot, and no detached building or boathouse either. Lots 97 through 100 also get exceptions the rest of the subdivision does not - a detached garage, and permission to keep vehicles outside, both with architectural approval.

What you can build and change

Conditional

Fences

On a LAKE LOT no fence whatsoever is permitted. Elsewhere the covenant does not set fence rules directly, but on a corner lot nothing between two and six feet above the roadway may block the sight triangle. Screen planting on a lake lot is capped at thirty-six inches within forty feet of the lake, and banned outright within thirty feet.

Additional Restrictions, Section 5 - Fences and Section 4 - Protective Screening, with Paragraph 13 - Sight Distance at Intersections
✗ Not allowed

Sheds & outbuildings

Detached storage structures are not allowed anywhere in Heather Lake. Anything for storing lawn tools, toys or pool equipment has to be attached to the house, and approved in writing before it is built. On a lake lot, detached buildings, pet shelters and boathouses are separately prohibited.

Paragraph 8 - Detached Buildings, with Additional Restrictions Section 7
✗ Not allowed

RVs, boats & trailers

Campers, recreational vehicles, trailers, boats, snowmobiles, cars, disabled vehicles and unused vehicles may not be kept outside the residence or parked on the streets - they have to be inside a structure or outside the development. Lots 97 through 100 are the one exception, with architectural approval.

Paragraph 6 - Nuisance
✗ Not allowed

Swimming pools & hot tubs

Above-ground pools are not permitted. An in-ground pool is not addressed directly, and any structure or addition has to be approved before it is installed.

Paragraph 7 - Temporary Structures
Conditional

Exterior changes & additions

No house may be built until the plans and specifications are approved in writing by the architectural control committee. A lot carries one single-family house of up to two and a half storeys and a garage for no more than three cars - except lots 97 through 100, which may also have an approved detached garage. Construction has to begin within five years of taking title and finish within a year of starting.

Paragraph 3 - Architectural Control Committee, with Paragraphs 1, 14 and 15
Conditional

Satellite dishes & antennas

One dish, one size, one place. No sending or receiving device, antenna or dish may go on the house, on its lot, or on any adjacent lot the same owner holds - except one eighteen-inch dish and a small local antenna, and those go on the rear half of the house, never the front. On a corner lot the receiving equipment goes on the side away from the streets. Federal rules on over-the-air reception devices protect a dish under one meter on property in your own exclusive use and control, which is larger than eighteen inches, so ask the association how the two fit together before buying a bigger dish.

Paragraph 7(b) - Antenna
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

The yard has to be planted with grass seed or sod within 120 days of the house being finished or occupied. On a corner lot nothing between two and six feet above the roadway may block the sight triangle. On a lake lot, the shoreline is the owner's to keep neat, and may only be landscaped with rock, stone, pea gravel and sand unless the committee approves otherwise.

Paragraph 15 - Completion Date, Paragraph 13, and Additional Restrictions Section 8
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

Dogs, cats and other household pets are allowed, as long as none is kept or bred commercially and none becomes a neighbourhood nuisance or hazard. Pets have to be kept inside the house - not in a pen, not in a separate structure, and not chained outside. Livestock and poultry may not be kept.

Paragraph 11 - Pets, Livestock and Poultry
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 →
Conditional

Yard signs

One sign of no more than five square feet advertising the property for sale or rent is allowed, plus a builder's signage of any size during construction and sales. The developer keeps the right to put up its own.

Paragraph 10 - Signs
Conditional

Street parking

Driveways have to run complete to the curb and be asphalt at least four inches thick or concrete; stone and cinder are not allowed, and a circular drive must be at least ten feet wide. Vehicles may not be kept outside the residence or parked on the streets of the development.

Paragraph 9 - Driveways and Sidewalks, with Paragraph 6
Conditional

Running a business from home

A lot is for a single-family residence, except that a home occupation may be carried on inside the house by a member of the immediate family living there. Nothing outside may show the house is used for anything else.

Paragraph 1 - Land and Use and Building Type
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

Disabled vehicles and vehicles not in use may not be kept outside the residence or parked on the streets of the development. They have to be kept inside a structure or outside the development. Lots 97 through 100 are the exception, and only with architectural approval.

Paragraph 6 - Nuisance
Conditional

Trash & recycling containers

No lot may be used as a dumping ground. Trash and garbage have to be kept in sanitary containers, and any incinerator or storage equipment kept clean and sanitary. On a lake lot, no shoreline may be used as a dumping or burning ground, and nothing may be dumped into the lake.

Paragraph 12 - Garbage and Refuse Disposal, with Additional Restrictions Section 10
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 Restrictions, Covenants, Limitations and Easements for Heather Lake, read with the Additional Protective Restrictions for the Lots and Lake Lots
Recorded asRecorded 2002, stamped 0224E8651
Covenants run to 2012-06-01; the additional lake restrictions to 2013-10-07, then both extend automatically in ten-year terms
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.
The associationHeather Lake Homeowners Association, Inc., which manages the lakes and a shared cluster septic system. Plans go to the Heather Lake Architectural Control Committee, the developer or three people it appoints.

Ask us about Heather Lake

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.