What the recorded documents actually say about New Prairie Knolls in New Carlisle — 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.
Fencing needs the Design Review Committee's written approval before it goes in, and the Committee decides the placement, the style and the height. No fence may be installed in an easement area unless the Committee approves that in writing. The covenants also let the Committee prohibit fencing outright on certain lots, at its sole discretion, with the one exception of underground electric pet containment systems, so approval runs lot by lot rather than subdivision wide. The developer's design review form asks whether the lot has been pre-approved for a fence at all, and records the style, the height and the location on the site plan. On a lake or pond lot, fencing is not permitted to substantially block a neighboring lot's view of the water. Separately, on a corner lot no fence, wall, hedge or shrub planting that obstructs sight lines between two and six feet above the roadway may remain inside the triangle formed by the street lines and a line connecting them twenty-five feet from the intersection.
A detached storage or pet shelter structure is allowed only with the Design Review Committee's approval before construction begins, and the covenants cap it at two per lot. It has to be of quality construction, kept in attractive and neat appearance, blend with the house and match the decor of the residence, and be placed near the rear half of the lot. If permitted, it may not exceed 8 feet wide, 12 feet long and 8 feet high unless the Committee approves otherwise in writing, and the Committee can require protective screening around it once it is up. Metal pole barns are not permitted, and roof pitch on any outbuilding is the Committee's call. The covenants say outright that some lots are not conducive to a detached structure and it can be refused there, and that perimeter lots are in most cases the more conducive ones. A separate covenant bars structures of a temporary character, naming tents, shacks, barns, tool sheds and storage sheds, except a construction trailer used while the house is being built.
Recreational and commercial vehicles may not be kept in open areas anywhere in the subdivision, on or off the owner's own lot, and may not be used as a temporary residence. The covenants name campers, trailers, trucks, dune buggies and boats. A separate covenant prohibits semi-tractors and trailers, school buses, modular homes, mobile homes, motor homes and house trailers, and says occupying a motor home as a residence in the subdivision is not permitted. On a lake or pond lot, permanent storage of any boat or recreational equipment on the shoreline is prohibited. The covenants say nothing about storing a boat or camper inside a closed garage.
Only a permanently installed, fully in-ground pool is allowed, and it needs written approval first. Above ground, on-ground and partially in-ground pools are all prohibited; the covenants define a partially in-ground pool as one whose sides rest in partial contact with the earth, and say the point of the restriction is to prevent temporary pools that sit on top of or partly into the ground, regardless of any permanent deck planned around them. Detailed plans showing size, placement, materials and fencing must be approved in writing by the Design Review Committee before installation, and the covenants recommend getting that approval before ordering any materials. The developer's design review form also asks that pool equipment be screened from the surrounding areas. Tennis courts are separately prohibited unless the Committee approves them in writing.
Nothing may be built, placed or altered on a lot, and the lot's natural topography or drainage may not be changed, until the Design Review Committee has approved the plans. The Committee is three people appointed by the developer, Cooreman Real Estate Group, Inc., and the covenants say the developer keeps the right to appoint them even after turnover of the association, until it assigns that right in writing to the board. Approval or disapproval comes in writing, and the covenants say the Committee's decision is final and entirely within its discretion. Submitted plans must show floor plan, any porch or deck design, quality of construction, materials, exterior colors, harmony of external design with existing structures, and location against lot lines, topography and finish grade elevations; the site plan must show driveways, sidewalks, well and septic location, drainage flow, post lights and retaining walls. Nothing that does not comply fully with the approved plans may be built, and no deviation from approved plans may be made without the Committee's prior written consent. The covenants let the developer delegate review of fencing, decks, swimming pools, residential additions and future structural improvements to the association after turnover, while new home construction plans stay with the developer-appointed Committee. If the developer, its successors and the Committee no longer exist, 80 percent of the record title owners act as the Committee. Separately, an owner must maintain paint or stain on the exterior at least every five years, or as needed, in a color and quality the association approves in advance.
One satellite dish per lot, no larger than one meter across, and no outside antennas. The covenants prohibit outside above-ground television, AM, FM and short wave radio antennas of any type on any lot or structure. The single permitted dish may not be placed in the front or side yard, must be placed to the extent feasible where it is not visible from the street or other common property, and its placement and size must be approved by the Design Review Committee before it goes on the lot. The Committee may also require protective screening. Federal rules on antenna installation can limit how far a private covenant like this reaches, so a buyer planning a specific installation may want to raise it with the association.
Solar panels need the Design Review Committee's written approval before construction, and the covenants put both the installation and the location of the panels in front of the Committee. They set no size, placement or screening standard beyond that, so the standard is whatever the Committee applies. The covenants separately require Committee approval of a geothermal heating unit.
The covenants set a detailed planting standard and a deadline. Side, front and rear yards must be planted with grass seed, sod or ground cover and landscaped within 120 days, weather permitting, after the house is finished or occupied, whichever comes first. At least four trees of at least six feet in height and two and a half inch caliper go in with the initial landscaping, and at least two of them must be evergreen; the Committee can waive that if it decides a lot already has enough trees. Foundation plantings along the front and sides are set by the Committee. Wildflowers are permitted only as a minor accent. Lawns must be kept neat and orderly with fertilizing, weeding and trimming. Vacant lots, except heavily wooded ones, must be mowed so foliage does not exceed twenty-four to thirty inches, and the first 30 to 40 feet not more than twelve to eighteen inches. No tree of more than sixteen inches in diameter may be removed unless actually necessary for construction, and the owner pays to remove a dead or severely damaged tree. Screen planting over thirty-six inches high between the building setback line and the front lot line needs written pre-approval, none over thirty-six inches is permitted within thirty feet of a lake or pond shoreline, and nothing may be planted on a shoreline area or back yard that obscures other pond owners' view of the water. Lake and pond lots must also install commercial grade edging and small landscape stone of Committee-approved material along the water's edge over a porous weed barrier.
Mailboxes are a Committee-approved item rather than an owner's free choice: style, type and material all have to be approved. Placement is also specified. The front of the mailbox is to sit two feet from the edge of the pavement, or even with the edge of a stone or paved shoulder but no closer than two feet from the pavement; a brick mailbox goes one foot behind the concrete curb or as the county or city right-of-way standard requires, whichever is more restrictive; and boxes must be placed to current Postal Authority specifications. The developer's design review form adds a height of 42 to 48 inches from street to the bottom of the box, a distance of 10 feet before or 20 feet after a driveway, and names masonry, villa style and Step 2 style as the approved styles, with a masonry box also needing approval from the local governing agency. The county or city is not responsible for damage to a mailbox sitting in the right-of-way.
Household pets are permitted; farm animals are not. The covenants prohibit raising, breeding or keeping animals, livestock or poultry of any kind on a lot, then except dogs, cats and other household pets, on the conditions that they are not kept, bred or maintained for any commercial purpose and are not permitted to become a neighborhood nuisance or hazard. No dog may be permitted to run at large. The covenants set no number limit and name no breeds. Elsewhere they allow up to two detached structures used as pet shelters, with Committee approval, and allow underground electric pet containment systems even on lots where the Committee prohibits fencing. Any form of animal care or treatment run as a business, such as dog trimming, is excluded from what counts as a permitted home occupation.
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 →One basketball post with a mounted backboard may be installed along the driveway, set no closer to the road than forty feet. A portable post with a backboard may not face the road when it is not in use, and has to be removed and stored inside from the first snowfall until spring. A post may not be left up without a backboard attached. The covenants also say the Design Review Committee must approve playground areas, basketball posts and equipment, and the developer's design review form asks for a description and picture of any hoop being proposed.
One sign, five square feet, and only to advertise the home for sale or rent. Beyond that the covenants prohibit displaying a sign of any kind to public view on a lot or home. A sign advertising a vacant lot or its asking price is not permitted on resale, except signs of approved builders or the developer, unless the Design Review Committee approves it in writing; the covenants point owners to magazine, newspaper, direct mail and MLS advertising instead, with the broker of their choice. The developer keeps an exclusive right to place signs, benches, information boxes and other advertising fixtures in the signage and landscape easements and the entrance islands to market lots and homes. Street sign locations are governed by county or city authorities.
Driveway parking is capped by the number of garage doors on the house: the number of cars parked in a driveway cannot exceed that number, except for temporary parking by an owner's guests. Street parking is prohibited except for temporary parking of guests' vehicles. Every dwelling is required to have a full-size garage capable of storing at least two cars and no more than three. Recreational and commercial vehicles fall under their own, stricter covenant.
A home occupation is permitted, but the covenants define it narrowly. It has to be conducted entirely within the residence, participated in solely by a member of the immediate family living there, and be clearly incidental and secondary to using the dwelling as a home without changing its character. Four conditions are listed: no sign or display indicating from the outside that the building is used for anything but a dwelling; no commodity sold on the premises; nobody employed other than an immediate family member living there; and no mechanical or electrical equipment used. The covenants then name uses that are not home occupations in any event: a barber shop, styling salon, beauty parlor, tea room, fortune-telling parlor, animal hospital, or any form of animal care or treatment such as dog trimming.
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 →Trash, garbage and other waste may be kept only in sanitary containers, and no lot may be used or maintained as a dumping ground for rubbish or brush. The covenants also bar using a lot to store old lumber, cars, materials or debris, including grass clippings. Firewood may be stored on a lot but has to be kept in an orderly and sightly manner. Incinerators and other equipment for storing or disposing of waste must be kept clean and sanitary. During construction the builder or lot owner has to place a dumpster or a suitable temporary container for trash. On a lake or pond lot, no shoreline area may be used as a dumping ground or incinerator area for leaves, grass clippings, trash or rubbish, and none of that may be dumped into the water. The covenants set no trash day and name no hauler.
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 →Hanging laundry outside is prohibited. The covenants put it in the nuisance paragraph as a flat one-sentence rule covering any lot in the subdivision, with no exception for a retractable line, an umbrella dryer or a drying rack, and no approval route to ask for one.
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 covenants permit yard decorations, ornaments, lawn furniture and temporary seasonal or holiday decorations and lights on the exterior of the dwelling, and then reserve to the association the right to require modification or removal of any decoration or display it deems unsightly, offensive or obnoxious. No size, count or take-down date is given, so the limit is whatever the association decides. The documents say nothing about curtains, blinds, shades or anything displayed inside a window.
Tell us the question and we will get you the answer from the recorded documents.