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Northbrook Shores

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

9 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 CARRY A SECOND SET OF COVENANTS AND A SECOND BOARD, and the covenant is explicit about how they interact: lots 17-30, 41A, 42-44, 55A, 56-62, 63A, 64A, 65B, 66B, 67B, 68A and 69-75 are subject to the Lake Restrictions as well, an action needing approval under both sets needs BOTH approvals, and a conflict between them is settled by a majority vote of the two boards combined. Tennis courts are possible only on lots 67B, 68A and 69.

What you can build and change

Conditional

Fences

The only perimeter fence allowed is split rail, two rails high and no more than four feet. Mesh may be attached to the inside of it, but the quality and design need the architectural control committee's approval, the mesh may not rise above the top rail, and its inside has to be partly screened with planting. A pool fence is also allowed, with spindles no more than an inch across and a four-inch gap between them, and it may enclose only the pool, its patio and a reasonable amount of landscaping - the covenant says outright that the point is to stop a pool fence being used to fence the yard.

Paragraph 8 - Fencing
Conditional

Sheds & outbuildings

A detached storage or pet-shelter structure has to be quality construction, kept neat, blend with the established home, and go to the architectural control committee for approval before construction begins.

Paragraph 13 - Detached Buildings
✗ Not allowed

RVs, boats & trailers

Recreational and commercial vehicles - campers, trailers, trucks and boats - may not be kept in open areas anywhere in the subdivision, on a lot or off it.

Paragraph 25 - Recreational and Commercial Vehicles
Conditional

Swimming pools & hot tubs

Above-ground pools are prohibited, and so are domed pool and court enclosures. An in-ground pool or a hot tub may be installed only with the architectural control committee's written permission. Tennis courts are prohibited everywhere except lots 67B, 68A and 69, where the committee may approve one and will set its placement, screening, lighting and hours of operation.

Paragraph 12 - Tennis Courts and Pools
Conditional

Exterior changes & additions

Nothing may be built, placed, maintained or altered, and the natural topography or drainage may not be changed, until the architectural control committee approves the plans in writing. One full set of plans goes in, showing floor plan, quality of construction, materials, outside colours, how the design sits with existing houses, and placement against the lot lines, topography and finish grade. Anything begun has to be finished within a year or removed, unless the association grants a written extension.

Paragraph 4 - Architectural Control, with Paragraph 20 - Completion Date
Conditional

Satellite dishes & antennas

This one was drafted around the federal rules. Outside above-ground AM, FM and short-wave radio antennas are barred, but an owner may put up a direct-broadcast satellite dish no more than one meter across, an MMDS antenna no more than one meter, or a television broadcast antenna. It has to meet safety codes, go where it is least visible from the street or common property if that is feasible, and the committee may require screening planting or a harmonious colour at the owner's cost - as long as that does not unreasonably impair the installation or use. The committee approves the placement in writing first.

Paragraph 26 - Utilities, Television Antennas and Satellite Dish Antennas
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.

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Conditional

Landscaping, trees & gardens

The covenant sets its own landscaping requirement and a deadline for meeting it. Sight lines over the open-space easement to the lake have to be kept clear, and adding or removing planting, fencing or any other structure there needs the unanimous agreement of the lake architectural control committee and every lot owner within 200 feet. Four lots on Arborwood Court - 44, 55A, 69 and 70 - each irrigate part of the association's Arborwood landscaping from their own systems, without compensation.

Paragraph 14 - Landscaping, with Paragraph 6 easements
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.

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How you can live here

Conditional

Pets

Dogs, cats and other household pets are allowed, as long as none is kept, bred or maintained commercially and none becomes a neighbourhood nuisance or hazard. Livestock and poultry may not be kept. Animal waste may not be dumped on an empty lot or a common area.

Paragraph 17 - Livestock and Poultry, with Paragraph 18
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.

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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.

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Conditional

Yard signs

No sign may be displayed to public view except one of no more than five square feet advertising the property for sale or rent, plus a builder's sign of any size during the construction and sales period.

Paragraph 16 - Signs
Conditional

Street parking

Driveways must be at least twelve feet wide and built of asphalt at least three inches thick, brick, or concrete at least four inches; stone and cinder are not allowed and a circular drive may be as narrow as eight feet. Fireplace chimneys have to be masonry. Recreational and commercial vehicles cannot be kept in the open anywhere in the subdivision.

Paragraph 15 - Driveways and Chimneys, with Paragraph 25
Conditional

Running a business from home

A home occupation is allowed if it is carried on entirely inside the house by a member of the immediate family living there, stays clearly secondary to living there, and uses no mechanical or electrical equipment. There can be no sign or display visible from outside, nothing sold on the premises, and nobody employed from outside the immediate family. A barber shop, styling salon, beauty parlour, tea room, fortune-telling parlour, animal hospital or any form of animal care such as dog trimming is named and excluded.

Paragraph 3 - Home Occupations
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.

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Not stated

Vehicle repair in the driveway

We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.

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Conditional

Trash & recycling containers

No lot may be used as a dumping ground for rubbish, and trash and garbage have to be kept in sanitary containers. Dumping trash, landscaping debris or animal waste on an empty lot or a common area is absolutely prohibited, and an identifiable violator pays the cleanup cost. Fuel storage tanks are not allowed at all, except portable government-approved containers of no more than five gallons. Hazardous materials may never be allowed to run into a catch basin, a lake or a retention area.

Paragraph 18 - Garbage and Refuse Disposal, with Paragraphs 21 and 22
Conditional

Grilling & outdoor cooking

No fire may burn on any street or roadway, and no burning anywhere else in the subdivision is allowed without a burn permit from the Harris Township Fire Department - so a permitted fire is possible here, which is unusual, but it takes the township's paperwork.

Paragraph 28 - Fires
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.

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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.

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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 documentAmended Protective Restrictions, Covenants, Limitations and Easements for Northbrook Shores, Sections One, Two and Three and Phase Two, St. Joseph County, Indiana
Recorded asSection One plat recorded 2004-02-06, instrument 0405542
Section Two plat recorded 2004-05-24, instrument 0424657
Section Three plat recorded 2005-02-23, instrument 0507629, replat 0526622
Phase Two plat recorded 2017-12-07, instrument 1733660, formerly Section Four, instrument 0600423
Additional Protective Restrictions for the Lake Lots, recorded separately
How it was readRead directly from the document’s own text.
Checked againstthree copies of the amended covenants came down on separate listings and read the same paragraph for paragraph
The associationNorthbrook Shores Association, with an architectural control committee that approves plans in writing. Dues start at a cap of $250 a lot a year, plus the separate assessment the covenant provides for, and the cap may rise each year by whichever is greater, three percent or the rise in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers - so the current figure is above $250 and the association can tell you what it is. A second association, the Lake Association, exists under a separate set of Lake Restrictions and maintains the open space that reaches the lake.

Ask us about Northbrook Shores

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