What the recorded documents actually say about Staffordshire Estates in South Bend — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.
14 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.
Before you rely on this page
THIS IS SECTION TWO, AND IT NAMES ITS OWN HOME SITES: 9 through 28, 46 through 58, and 69 through 81. If the house is not one of those, the recorded set that governs it is a different document and these answers should not be relied on for it. Two of the fencing allowances are also written by home site number rather than for the whole section. Minimum house sizes are 1,100 square feet on a ranch and 1,500 on everything else.
Fencing may be PVC or a similar maintenance-free product; wood or painted metal needs the architectural committee's unanimous approval. A perimeter fence, meaning one that is not privacy in nature, may be up to four feet and goes in the side and back yards only, with the style and location approved in writing first. A privacy fence up to six feet is allowed around a patio next to the house. Two exceptions are written in by home site number: 9 through 15 may put six-foot privacy fence along the back line, and 9 through 15 and 22 through 28 may fence the whole back yard six feet high, non-privacy, so a pool can go in later. A fence inside a dedicated easement is at the homeowner's own risk.
A detached storage or pet-shelter structure may be no more than 10 by 12 feet, has to go in the rear yard, be quality construction kept neat and blend with the house, and needs the architectural committee's written approval before construction begins; the committee may require screening around it. No trailer, modular or manufactured home, prebuilt home, basement, tent, shack, garage, barn or outbuilding may be lived in. Any addition - a patio, shed, pool or fence - has to be finished within six months of starting.
Recreational and commercial vehicles - campers, trailers, trucks and boats - may not be kept in open areas anywhere in the neighborhood, on a home site or off it.
Tennis courts and above-ground pools are both prohibited. An in-ground pool is treated as an addition: it goes to the architectural committee first and has to be finished within six months of starting. Home sites 9 through 15 and 22 through 28 were given a six-foot back-yard fencing allowance specifically so an in-ground pool could go in later.
Nothing may be built or altered, and the topography or drainage may not be changed, until the architectural committee approves the plans in writing. Any alteration, improvement, remodel or maintenance that affects how the house looks from outside also goes in before work starts. Two sets of prints are submitted, 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 is finished within a year or removed; an addition, within six months. One quirk worth knowing: the developer pre-approved every plan and house built by Weiss Homes, Inc., and changing or removing that paragraph takes a unanimous vote of all current owners.
Outside above-ground TV, AM, FM and short-wave antennas of any type are barred, but a direct-broadcast satellite dish of no more than one meter across is allowed. It has to go where it is least visible from the street or common property if that is feasible, and the architectural committee may require shrubbery or other screening and 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 before it goes up.
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 →Side, front and rear yards are seeded or sodded - another ground cover needs prior written approval. Grading and seeding are done by the time you move in, or if the season will not allow it, as soon as practical and no later than June 15 after occupancy, and never in a way that hinders drainage. Drainage swales, easements and road ditches stay open and unfilled. Every owner also has to keep the lawn cut, remove debris, take down dead trees and stumps, and keep the outside of the house from becoming unsightly - and if they do not, the association may come onto the home site, do the work, and add the cost to the annual assessment.
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 commercially and none becomes a neighbourhood nuisance or hazard. Livestock and poultry may not be kept. Dogs have to be leashed, kennels are not permitted, and a dog exercise area needs approval - a small one tight against the side or rear of the house may be fenced five or six feet high if the architectural committee approves.
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 →Apart from political campaign signs, the only sign allowed is one of no more than five square feet advertising the property for sale or rent, plus a builder's sign during the construction and sales period. A political sign has to come down within twenty-four hours after the election it relates to.
Driveways must be at least twelve feet wide and built of concrete or brick - stone and cinder are not allowed - and a circular drive in front of the house may be as narrow as eight feet. Every house has a full-size attached garage for two to three cars. And one to know: minibikes, motorcycles, go-carts, snowmobiles and similar motor-driven vehicles may not be operated anywhere in the neighbourhood, except a licensed vehicle driven by a licensed person on a dedicated public road.
A home occupation is allowed if it involves only a member of the immediate family living in the house, stays entirely inside it, and remains clearly secondary to living there. There can be no sign or display showing the building is used for anything else, 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 animal care such as dog trimming is named and excluded, and no commercial, business or professional office use may be carried on on a residential home site.
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 home site may be used as a dumping ground for rubbish. Trash, garbage, weeds and other waste are kept only in sanitary containers, and any incinerator or storage equipment kept clean and sanitary. Oil and fuel storage tanks are not allowed on a home site at all, with one exception: portable government-approved containers for LP gas, gasoline or similar household materials.
No fire may be allowed to burn in any street or roadway in the neighbourhood. A fire on your own home site is not addressed.
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.