What the recorded documents actually say about Pine Ridge in Elkhart — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.
10 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.
Before you rely on this page
These answers come from the Fifth Amendment to the Declaration of Reservations and Restrictive Covenants of Pine Ridge Subdivision, recorded with the Elkhart County Recorder on August 5, 2024 as Instrument No. 2024-12636. It restates the full set of restrictions and states that it controls over the original 1989 declaration and all four earlier amendments. It governs Lots 1 through 42 on the Plat of Pine Ridge, a Subdivision, a single 10.008-acre tract in Osolo Township, Elkhart County, so there are no phases or sections left uncovered.
Two things to know before you rely on an older copy. The association packet distributed to residents in January 2022 prints an earlier fence rule, carried over from the 2020 amendment, requiring a see-through fence and banning privacy fencing; the 2024 amendment replaced that wording with the perimeter fencing rule shown above. And the copy of the 2024 amendment on file is a scan of a recorded instrument with one page where the print is partly obscured, so a few words were read off a second copy of the same recording. If a fence, a lease, or an outside project is central to your decision, ask the association for the current recorded covenants and have the title company confirm nothing has been recorded since August 2024.
The seller disclosure forms and other sale paperwork on file for this neighborhood are not covenants and were not used.
Perimeter fencing is limited to two choices: a split rail fence of two rails, no more than four feet high, or a privacy fence around the immediate patio no more than six feet. Either one has to match the existing architectural standards and be approved by the Board of Directors in writing before it goes up, and the Board can grant a written variance. On corner lots, no fence may sit where it blocks the sight lines at the Bristol Street corner. One thing to watch: the association packet handed to residents in January 2022 prints a different fence rule, carried over from the 2020 amendment, that required a see-through fence and banned privacy fencing. The amendment recorded in August 2024 replaced that wording and states that it controls.
A detached storage building for lawn tools, personal property or a pet shelter is allowed, but it has to sit directly behind the house, inside the lines drawn straight back from the outside edges of the house to the rear property line, and it cannot be visible from the street when you stand in front of the house. It has to be quality construction, kept neat, and blend with the existing homes. Plans go to the Board of Directors and to both adjoining lot owners for approval before construction starts.
The covenants reach recreational vehicles in two places, and neither one is a storage rule. A trailer, motor home, recreational vehicle or tent may not be used as a residence on a lot, temporarily or permanently. Separately, any vehicle on the street is limited to dawn to dusk, only when there is no driveway space, and overnight street parking needs prior Board permission. The documents do not say anything either way about keeping a camper, boat or trailer in a driveway or inside a garage, so that is worth asking the Board before you count on it.
Pools are prohibited, both above-ground and in-ground, and so are tennis courts and outdoor hot tubs.
This is the broadest rule in the document. Nothing may be built, placed, altered or even repainted on a lot until the plans have been approved by the Board of Directors and by the owners of the adjoining lots. That reaches buildings, structures, landscaping, grading and drainage, and any exterior color or attachment. Plans have to show size, quality of construction, materials, outside colors, how the design fits the existing homes, and grade elevations, and no change from an approved plan can be made without going back for consent. The requirement that your next-door neighbors sign off, not just the Board, is unusual and worth knowing before you plan any outside project.
Satellite dishes are permitted at up to thirty inches in diameter, and they have to be mounted in the back area of the home so they are not seen from the road. A dish that is visible from the road has to be relocated to the back at the owner's expense. All other utility service, including cable, is required to run underground.
The covenants never mention solar panels by name. What they do say is that no exterior attachment may be added, changed or modified on a lot until the plans have been approved by the Board of Directors and the owners of the adjoining lots, which on its face reaches a roof or ground array. Treat it as an approval question and get the Board's answer in writing before you count on it.
Landscaping is treated like construction here. No landscaping may be placed or altered until the plans are approved by the Board of Directors and the adjoining lot owners, and the same goes for changing the topography or drainage of a lot. Drainage swales may not be regraded in a way that changes how stormwater runs off. On corner lots, no tree or shrub may remain in the clear sight triangle unless the foliage is kept high enough to keep the view open. Every lot is also required to have decorative front yard lighting designed to run dusk to dawn, in the manner the Board prescribes.
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 household pets are allowed, as long as they are not kept, bred or maintained for any commercial purpose and are not allowed to become a nuisance or a hazard in the neighborhood. Livestock and poultry of any kind are prohibited. The documents set no limit on the number of pets. A detached structure built to shelter a pet is allowed under the storage building rule, which means Board and neighbor approval first.
Leasing is prohibited. The covenants say a dwelling has to be occupied by an owner and their immediate family, and that occupancy without the titled owner counts as renting no matter what is paid. The stated reason is keeping the subdivision owner-occupied. If you are buying here as an investment, or you may want to rent the home out later, this is the clause to take to your attorney first.
The covenants never mention basketball goals. The general rule is that no structure may be erected, constructed or placed on a lot until the plans have been approved by the Board of Directors and the owners of the adjoining lots, which would tend to cover a pole-mounted goal or one attached to the house. A portable goal is not addressed either way, so ask the Board how they handle it.
One sign is allowed on a lot, no more than five square feet, and only to advertise the property for sale or to promote a garage sale. Signs advertising a business or commercial enterprise are prohibited outright. The documents say nothing about political or contractor signs.
On-street parking is allowed only from dawn to dusk, and only when there is no driveway space available. A vehicle on the street may not sit within twenty feet of a mailbox and may not block the street or a driveway. Overnight street parking is not allowed unless it is unavoidable and the Board has given permission in advance. Driveways themselves have to be concrete at least four inches thick, and stone, cinder and asphalt driveways are prohibited.
A home-based business is prohibited. A structure on a lot may be used only as a single family residence, no goods may be sold and no services performed on the premises whether or not for profit, and no sign or display advertising a business is permitted. Work you do entirely off-site is a different question the documents do not reach, but anything customers come to, or that needs a sign, runs into this clause.
Short-term rental is caught by the same clause that bans leasing. The dwelling has to be occupied by an owner and their immediate family, and the covenants say occupancy without the titled owner is considered renting regardless of what is paid, which is written broadly enough to reach a nightly or weekly stay.
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 have to be kept in sanitary containers, and a lot may not be used as a dumping ground for rubbish. Incinerators and other equipment for storing or disposing of waste are prohibited. Nobody other than the lot owner may dispose of refuse or store materials on a lot. The documents do not set a day or a screening rule for putting cans at the curb.
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 never mention clotheslines. The general rule is that no structure may be erected, constructed or placed on a lot until the plans have been approved by the Board of Directors and the owners of the adjoining lots, so a permanent line or post would tend to need that approval first. A retractable or portable line is not addressed either way.
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 →Window treatments and shutters are named directly. No owner may change them without the consent of the adjoining lot owners, and the stated reason is preserving the curb appeal of the home. Anything that changes an exterior color or adds an attachment also goes to the Board of Directors. The documents say nothing about interior decorations visible through a window.
Tell us the question and we will get you the answer from the recorded documents.