What the recorded documents actually say about Hermitage South Estates in South Bend — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.
18 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.
Before you rely on this page
Hermitage South Estates is not governed by a single document, and the file for this neighborhood holds four different ones. Read this before you rely on any answer above.
These answers come from the Revised Code of By-Laws, Covenants and Restrictions of Hermitage II Homeowners' Association, Inc., recorded in St. Joseph County on July 3, 2013 as instrument 1320117, together with a written consent of the board effective November 22, 2014 that added the rule on basketball hoops and other sports equipment. The 2013 document states that all versions of association by-laws prior to August 1, 2013 are rescinded, and it names the lots it reaches: lots 96 through 102 on the plat of Hermitage South Estates Section 2 Part 2, and lots 113A through 124 and lots 129 through 151 on the plat of Section 3.
If your lot is not one of those, these answers may not be your rules. An older recorded Declaration of Protective Covenants and Restrictions for Hermitage South Estates Section Two, Part Two, recorded December 1996 as instrument 9649833, covers lots 96 through 103 and remains on record. The two documents answer several questions differently. The 1996 declaration allows an in-ground pool and bans only above-ground ones, while the 2013 document bans exterior swimming pools of both kinds. The 1996 declaration bars house trailers, motor homes, large trucks and boats from a lot at any time, while the 2013 document allows them kept out of sight inside a structure and for up to a week otherwise. The 1996 declaration allows one five-square-foot for-sale sign, while the 2013 document discourages signage generally and adds terms for political signs. The two also disagree about lot 96, which the 1996 declaration assigns to Hermitage South Homeowners' Association and the 2013 document lists among Hermitage II's lots. Lot 103 is in the 1996 declaration and not in the 2013 list at all.
Separately, there is a Hermitage South Condominium under its own Declaration of Horizontal Property Regime, with its own association and its own bylaws as amended in March 2025. That is a condominium, a different form of ownership with different documents, and nothing on this page is drawn from it or describes it.
The recorded copies on file are scans of paper, so individual words can be misread, and every answer quotes the document's own wording so you can judge it yourself. Before you rely on any of this, confirm with the association which documents run with your specific lot, and ask whether the board has adopted further rules since 2014 - it has the power to, by majority vote, and any such rules would not be in this file. Your title company can pull the recorded instruments for your lot.
Fences, walls, hedges, shrubs, tall flower groupings and screening plants are not allowed along the front property line at all. Along a side or rear lot line those same items have to stay under four feet high, and none of them may sit closer than twenty-five feet from the street line. There is one written exception: shrubbery planted in a side yard to screen adjacent housing, or at the front of the house, when it is done in a tasteful manner.
Temporary structures are ruled out flatly. The restriction names trailers, tents, shacks and other outbuildings, and it does not qualify the ban by size, placement or approval. A separate item also caps total building coverage, including decks, carports and arbors, at sixty percent of the lot. Note that the wording here is firmer than the older 1996 declaration for Section Two Part Two, which barred such structures only from being used as a residence.
There is a place where these may be kept and a limit on how long they may sit out. House trailers, motor homes, large trucks, vans, boats and similar vehicles have to be kept out of sight inside a structure, and may not be parked on a lot permanently or for longer than one week. So a camper or boat is not banned from the neighborhood, but it is not meant to sit in the open. The older 1996 declaration that also covers Section Two Part Two is stricter on this point and allows no such vehicle on a lot at any time.
Exterior swimming pools are not allowed, and the restriction says so for both in-ground and above-ground. What is allowed is a garden pool, no larger than five by eight feet, with any surrounding structure no higher than fifteen inches. This is a real change from the older 1996 declaration for Section Two Part Two, which barred only above-ground pools, so if the two documents both reach your lot this is one to confirm with the board.
An existing house may not be altered on the outside without the board's written approval. You put the proposed change in writing in a format the board will accept, and you wait: if approval is not given, the alteration is not allowed and construction may not proceed. The board has to respond with its ruling within thirty days. Building coverage, counting decks, carports, arbors and similar construction, is also capped at sixty percent of the lot area.
Exposed CB-type radio or television transmitting and receiving devices are not allowed. Satellite dishes are the exception, provided their dimensions conform to current industry standards. The restriction gives no figure in inches, so what counts as conforming is a question for the board. Federal rules also limit how far a covenant like this can be enforced against a small dish.
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 →Two restrictions shape planting. Hedges, shrubs, tall flower groupings and screening plants are not allowed along the front property line, have to stay under four feet along side and rear lot lines, and may not come closer than twenty-five feet to the street line, with an exception for tasteful screening shrubbery in a side yard or at the front of the house. Inside the utility and drainage easements shown on the plat, no permanent structure and no planting is allowed at all. Worth knowing before you budget for yard care: the board contracts for the maintenance of lawns and shrubbery owned by the membership and for snow removal on sidewalks and individual driveways owned by the membership, so some of this is done for you.
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 →Dogs, cats and other domestic animals kept for companionship are allowed, with conditions. They have to be sheltered indoors overnight. An animal walked within the subdivision has to be on a leash, and whoever is in control of it picks up the droppings. No animal may be bred or raised for a commercial purpose. Large animals, livestock, poultry and other kinds of animals may not be raised or sheltered on a lot. No number limit is given.
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 one was added by the board in November 2014. Sports equipment such as basketball hoops, whether portable or permanent, may not be on the street side of the property, may not be attached to the street side of the home, garage or other structure, and may not be visible on side property. The board's stated reason is noise and keeping property appearances reasonable. The restriction is written as a placement rule rather than an outright ban, so where a hoop can go is worth confirming with the board before you buy one.
Signage of any kind is discouraged, with one stated exception: a sign advertising the property for sale. Political signs are permissible if presented in good taste, and the timing is spelled out - not displayed earlier than one month before an election, and removed within one week after it. No size limit is given for either.
On public street parking the document is unusually clear that there is no restriction. What it does instead is encourage owners to remind visitors to park so they do not interfere with routine services such as mail, special delivery and trash. The real limit is on large vehicles: house trailers, motor homes, large trucks, vans, boats and similar vehicles have to be kept out of sight inside a structure and may not sit on a lot permanently or longer than a week.
There is no home-occupation paragraph anywhere in this document. What it says is that no lot in the subdivision shall be used for other than residential purposes, backed by a separate item saying noxious or offensive activity will not be tolerated, nor any annoyance or nuisance such as loud noise or raucous parties. How far that reaches a purely in-home office with no sign, no employees and no customers coming to the house is not spelled out, so anyone planning to work from home in a way neighbours would notice should get the board's position in writing.
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 lot may be used or maintained as a dumping ground for trash, rubbish, garbage or like materials, and incinerators are not allowed at all. Separately, the board is charged with making sure owners use effective garbage collection. The document does not say where bins have to be kept between collections.
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 →Flags are expressly welcome here, within a size. Flag poles are permitted and flags may be displayed, with the size restricted to the standard three by five feet. Federal, state, community and school flags are all named as allowed so long as they keep to those dimensions.
The document addresses the outside of the house rather than what sits inside a window. Exterior decoration has to be tastefully done, and the restriction names painting, shutters, exterior lighting and other exterior decor. Seasonal decorations are allowed but are not to be too gaudy, which the board decides, and they have to come down within a month of the seasonal activity. Nothing addresses curtains, blinds or anything displayed inside a window.
Tell us the question and we will get you the answer from the recorded documents.