What the recorded documents actually say about Whippoorwill Valley South in South Bend — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.
7 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.
Before you rely on this page
READ THE SIGN RULE BEFORE YOU LIST. No sign of any kind may be shown to public view on a lot, and the covenant names FOR SALE and for-rent signs and builders' signs specifically - the only way to put one up is prior written approval from the developer. That is the strictest sign provision in this directory and it needs sorting out before a listing goes live, not after. Two other things shape the place: there is no perimeter fencing at all, only security fencing around a patio or pool, and every house needs a SIDELOAD garage. Minimum house sizes run on three tiers by lot number and the spread is wide - 1,800 square feet on the villa lots, up to 3,800 for a two-storey on lots 38 through 45 - so check your lot before assuming what can be built or added.
There is NO perimeter fencing at all in this subdivision - the covenant states it flatly. The one thing allowed is security fencing around an immediate patio or pool, no more than six feet, matching the architectural standard set by the style of the house and approved by the architectural control committee in writing, unless the committee grants a written variance. On a corner lot nothing between two and six feet above the roadway may block the sight triangle.
A detached structure for storing lawn tools, toys or other personal property has to be quality construction, kept attractive and neat, blend with the house, and go to the architectural control committee for approval before construction begins. The committee can require protective screening around it. No trailer, modular, manufactured or prebuilt home, tent, shack, barn, outbuilding or temporary structure may be moved onto or built on a lot and lived in.
Campers, trailers, trucks and boats may not be kept in open areas in the subdivision - and the covenant closes the usual workaround by saying that holds whether the open area is on your own lot or off it.
Above-ground pools are not permitted. An in-ground pool and a tennis court are BOTH expressly permitted with the architectural control committee's prior approval - which is more accommodating than most covenants in the county, where a tennis court is either banned or tied to an acreage test. Security fencing up to six feet is allowed around a pool.
Plans and specifications go to the Whippoorwill Valley South committee in writing before anything is built. Minimum house sizes run on THREE TIERS by lot number, so check which one your address falls in: most lots need 2,400 square feet for a ranch and 2,800 for a two-storey; lots 38 through 45 need 3,000 and 3,800; and the VILLA lots - 61 through 68, 72 through 78 and 82 through 87 - need 1,800, with two-storey homes not offered. Every house must have a full-size SIDELOAD attached garage. Every fireplace chimney is masonry. Every lot carries a dusk-to-dawn post light on an electric eye in front of the front setback line. Lots may not be subdivided to build a second house. Building materials are prescribed: the exterior must be brick, wood, stone or fiber cement siding, with aluminum allowed only on the fascia, soffit and frieze; front walks are brick or cement where appropriate; and roof shingles must be the built-up type. An exception needs the committee's UNANIMOUS written approval.
A small dish is allowed and the covenant gives a number. No above-ground television, AM, FM or short-wave radio antenna of any type, and no LARGE satellite dish, may be put up or kept on a lot or structure - but an 18-inch digital satellite dish IS permitted, provided it is not visible from the roadways or from neighbouring homes. All utility service including cable runs underground and out of sight.
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 screen plantings on the recorded non-access easements are retained and maintained by the lot owner at their own expense. Nothing permanent may be built on a platted easement apart from that screening, and the grading of a drainage swale may not be changed. On a corner lot nothing between two and six feet above the roadway may block the sight triangle.
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 is permitted to become a neighbourhood nuisance or hazard. Livestock and poultry may not be raised, bred or kept.
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 →The strictest sign rule in this directory, and the one to know before you list. No sign of any kind may be displayed to public view on any lot - and the covenant says expressly that this INCLUDES a sign advertising the property FOR SALE or for rent, and a builder's sign of any size during construction and sales - unless prior WRITTEN approval is given by the developer. The developer keeps its own right to put up signs promoting the development. If you are selling here, sort the sign permission out before the listing goes live rather than after a neighbour complains.
Driveways have to be at least twelve feet wide and built of asphalt at least three inches thick, brick, or concrete. Stone and cinder driveways are not permitted. A circular drive in front of the house may be as narrow as eight feet. Campers, trailers, trucks and boats may not sit in an open area anywhere in the subdivision.
A home occupation is allowed if it is carried on entirely inside the house and stays clearly secondary to living there, with no sign or display visible from outside, no commodity sold on the premises, and nobody employed from outside the immediate family living there. Every lot is otherwise restricted to single-family residential use - and note the sign rule here would bar any exterior indication of a business anyway.
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 lot is used or maintained as a dumping ground for rubbish. Trash, garbage and other waste go in sanitary containers, and any incinerator or storage equipment is kept clean and sanitary.
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.