What the recorded documents actually say about Lafayette Falls Villas in South Bend — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.
24 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.
Before you rely on this page
CHECK YOUR LOT NUMBER - THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT SETS OF RULES IN LAFAYETTE FALLS. This page is the VILLA association, the LFVA, and its covenants cover home sites 1 through 17 and 222 through 261 in the development off Kern Road. A separate declaration governs Phase IV Section Two - home sites 304-313, 340-381, 393, 394, 417-420 and 436-438 - and that one has its own page in this directory under Lafayetts Falls, which is how the MLS spells it. The two are not interchangeable: the villa association pays for lawn care and snow removal, and the other does not. If your lot number is not in one of the ranges above, you are probably reading the wrong page.
Every change to the exterior of a villa or its grounds must be approved by the Board of Directors or an Architectural Committee it appoints, and the application has to be in writing - a verbal approval is expressly null and void. An invisible fence is contemplated for dogs. A physical fence would go through that written approval, and the Board may order an unapproved one removed, giving the owner reasonable time before hiring a contractor and billing them for it.
Anything added to the structure or grounds needs the Board's written approval first, and nothing of any kind may be stored on the common area, the walkways or the landscaped areas. An approval expires automatically three months after it is granted unless work has actually started, and the Board has ninety days after completion to inspect what was built.
No recreational vehicle of any type may be kept or parked here unless it is classified under the Indiana Vehicle Code as a private passenger vehicle, a motor-driven cycle or motorcycle licensed for the road, or a private light truck. So an ordinary car, motorcycle or pickup is fine; a camper, travel trailer or boat is not.
Pools are not named. Anything that changes the exterior of the villa or its grounds needs the Board's written approval first, and any new planting or landscaped area beyond the immediate perimeter of the home also needs approval - and will be refused if it gets in the way of the mowing contractor.
All changes to the exterior of a villa and its grounds must be approved by the Board or its Architectural Committee, and the application must be IN WRITING - approval based on a verbal application is null and void, and the Board may ask for drawings or photographs. Approved work must be architecturally designed and professionally built to code. An approval expires on its own three months after it is granted unless work has started and is progressing, and the Board then has ninety days after completion to inspect it; if it is architecturally unsuited or not to code the owner gets reasonable time to correct it. Anything built without approval can be ordered out, and if it stays the Board may hire a contractor and charge the owner. One specific ban: outside coverings, including awnings over windows of any type or style, are prohibited unless they are standard-size window screens.
Above-ground television, AM, FM and short-wave radio antennas of any type are banned outright. A direct broadcast satellite dish of no more than one meter is allowed, but nothing may be installed until the Board or the Architectural Committee approves it in writing. It must go where it is not visible from the street or common property so far as that is feasible, and you may be required to plant screening and match its colour to the landscape. There is also a practical rule unique to a maintained community: a clear perimeter of at least THREE FEET must be left around every part of the system so the lawn crew and their equipment never touch 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 →The association mows, string trims, edges, fertilizes and weed-controls the lawn, and trims, prunes, weeds and mulches the planting beds the builder originally put in around the home, and runs the irrigation system. What it does NOT do is replace anything - every plant is the owner's responsibility. Any planting area or landscaping beyond the immediate perimeter of the home needs approval from the Board or its Architectural Committee, and approval will be refused for anything that gets in the way of efficient mowing and adds cost. You cannot opt out of a service for a lower fee. Nothing may be stored in or on the common area, the walkways or the landscaped areas, and walkways are kept clear at all times.
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 more than TWO domesticated pets per villa, and city and county animal control rules are enforced here. Dogs outside must be on a leash held by an adult who can control them, or kept on the villa's own lot by a chain or an invisible fence - and a dog may never be left outside while the owner is away or for extended periods. Patios and yards may never be used as living areas for pets or as somewhere a pet is left alone all day or overnight. Every dog must be licensed and tagged and every cat tagged. Owners clean up after their pets anywhere in the neighborhood, and are absolutely liable for any damage a pet causes. A vicious or dangerous dog - one that unprovoked threatens, menaces, terrorizes, attacks, bites or injures a person or another animal - must be permanently removed from the community at the owner's expense.
Renting is allowed, with a reporting duty attached. An owner who leases or rents out a villa must give the Board the tenant's name, address and phone number, plus the owner's own emergency phone number and address, within TEN days of the tenancy starting. The owner stays responsible for all fees, dues and fines, and for damage caused by a tenant or a tenant's guests.
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 of any kind may be displayed to public view on a home site, with two exceptions: political campaign signs, and one sign of no more than five square feet advertising the property for sale or rent. A political sign has to come down within twenty-four hours after the election it relates to.
Only private passenger vehicles, road-licensed motorcycles and private light trucks may be kept or parked here. A non-operable vehicle may not be parked or stored outside the garage - and the rules define that broadly: anything that cannot run, is missing a wheel, is on jack stands, or has no current registration tags. Such a vehicle may be TOWED without notice. No vehicle of any type, including a moving van or a service truck, may be left unattended where it blocks access to another villa, a utility meter, a fire hydrant, or any way in or out of the neighborhood.
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 →Vehicle repair is not addressed directly, but the effect of the rule is close to it: a vehicle that cannot run, is missing a wheel or is up on jack stands may not be parked or stored anywhere outside the owner's garage, and may be towed without notice if it is.
All trash, refuse and recycling must be secured and put directly into the bins the City of South Bend provides, with the cover firmly closed, and any overflow secured as the City requires. Bins are stored INSIDE the home site's garage at all times except when they are at the street on collection day. Anything not properly disposed of will be removed by the association, and the owner is charged the removal cost on top of any fine.
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 →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 →Outside window coverings of any type or style, including awnings, are prohibited - the only exception is a standard-size window screen. Anything else on the exterior needs the Board's written approval.
Tell us the question and we will get you the answer from the recorded documents.