What the recorded documents actually say about Prairie Lane Estates in Granger — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.
26 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.
Before you rely on this page
THE RECORDED SET ON FILE HERE IS PHASE I, LOTS 1-40. The by-laws say each section of Prairie Lane Estates has its own recorded covenants, and an owner has to follow the set that applies to their own section. If the house is outside Lots 1-40, ask the association which set governs it before relying on these answers.
The Phase I covenants do not set fence rules. The association's own newsletter points owners at St. Joseph County code enforcement instead, and names a fence over six feet, or a fence built without a county building permit, as the kind of thing the county handles. So the limit here is the county's, not the association's.
A storage shed may be no more than 100 square feet on the outside, and it has to go on the back half of the lot. No shack, garage or outbuilding may be lived in, and no structure may be moved onto a lot.
The recorded Phase I covenants do not mention boats or campers. The association's board does: its newsletter tells owners that boats and campers cannot be parked on the road or in a driveway for more than 48 hours.
An in-ground pool is allowed but goes to the subdivision's architectural committee for approval first - the association names it specifically, alongside additions and structural changes. Above-ground pools are not addressed.
Any building plan goes to the committee for written approval before construction starts, and the association asks the same for an addition, an in-ground pool or any structural change - the architectural committee takes plans by email, and the address is published in the association's newsletter and on its website. A lot carries one single-family house of no more than two storeys, plus a breezeway and a private garage big enough for two cars. An approved post light with an automatic timer has to be installed.
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 →Yards have to be kept up so they do not detract from the look of the neighbourhood. The roadside drainage ditches and swales may not be filled in, and where the county highway department requires a culvert the homeowner installs it and keeps it clear so surface water runs free.
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 none is kept, bred or maintained for any commercial purpose. Livestock and poultry may not be raised or kept. The committee decides any question about what this paragraph means, and its decision is final.
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 display sign of any kind may be attached to any part of a house or building on the lot. The covenant is written about signs attached to the building rather than a sign in the yard, so ask the board before assuming a yard sign is covered.
The driveway from the street has to be hard surface, either blacktop or concrete, and every house has a garage big enough for two cars. The association's newsletter adds that boats and campers cannot sit on the road or in a driveway for more than 48 hours, and that an unlicensed or inoperable vehicle parked on the street is a county code matter.
No business or trade may be conducted on a lot, and nothing may be done on it that becomes an annoyance or nuisance to the neighbourhood. The covenant also bars manufacturing, storing or selling liquor there, and bars any display sign attached to the house.
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 do not address vehicle repair. The association's newsletter treats an unlicensed or inoperable vehicle parked on the street as a St. Joseph County code enforcement matter.
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 →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 →Tell us the question and we will get you the answer from the recorded documents.