← HOA answers

Williamsburg

What the recorded documents actually say about Williamsburg in Granger — 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

A 1974 COVENANT, so it simply does not address much of what a buyer asks about today - pools, sheds, satellite dishes, basketball hoops. Where this page says a topic is not stated, that is the document being silent rather than a gap in the reading. Two things it DOES set are worth knowing: a minimum house size of 2,000 square feet on a ranch and 2,400 on a two-storey, and only one residence per lot with a definition of lot that governs combining two. Lots here are on septic systems unless a sanitary sewer has since been built. Retention Areas A and B may be repurposed by the developer with the committee's approval if they are ever no longer needed.

What you can build and change

Conditional

Fences

No fence or wall may be put up, placed or altered anywhere nearer the street than the minimum building setback line without the architectural control committee's approval. On a corner lot nothing between two and six feet above the roadway may block the sight triangle.

Paragraph 2, with Paragraph 14
Conditional

Sheds & outbuildings

The covenant does not set shed rules directly. It does say that no structure of a temporary character, and no mobile home, trailer, basement, tent, shack, garage, barn or other outbuilding, may be used on a lot as a residence, and that nothing permanent may be built on the platted easements.

Paragraph 13, with Paragraph 8
✗ Not allowed

RVs, boats & trailers

House trailers, trailers, travel trailers, trucks, boats and other offensive objects may not be parked or located on a lot at any time, temporarily or permanently, unless they are kept inside a garage.

Paragraph 13
Not stated

Swimming pools & hot tubs

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 →
Conditional

Exterior changes & additions

No building may be put up, placed or altered until the plans, specifications and a site plan are approved by the architectural control committee on quality of workmanship and materials, how the external design sits with existing houses, and placement against the topography and finish grade. If the committee does not answer within thirty days, approval is no longer required. A lot carries one detached single-family house of no more than two storeys and an attached garage for up to three cars, and only ONE residence per lot. Every dwelling also carries a post light matching the others in type, height and setback, on an automatic operator from sundown to dawn.

Paragraphs 2, 4, 1, 18 and 15
Conditional

Satellite dishes & antennas

All telephone and other public utility lines, in the streets or on a lot, have to run underground and stay out of sight, and street and lot lighting sits on ornamental posts with no visible lines. The covenant was written in 1974 and does not mention antennas or dishes, so ask the committee rather than reading the utility clause as covering one.

Paragraph 8
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.

We can find out →
Conditional

Landscaping, trees & gardens

Grading and seeding or sodding have to be finished within twelve months of construction starting, and the covenant sets a minimum size for the trees planted - not less than two inches in diameter, measured a foot above the ground.

Paragraph 17
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 may be kept, as long as none is kept, bred or maintained for any commercial purpose. Livestock and poultry may not be raised or kept.

Paragraph 10
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.

We can find out →
Conditional

Yard signs

Three kinds of sign are allowed: one professional sign of no more than one square foot, one sign of no more than five square feet advertising the property for sale or rent, and a builder's sign of any size during the construction and sales period.

Paragraph 12
Conditional

Street parking

Driveways have to be hard-surface paving for their full length and width, and fireplace chimneys have to be masonry. A trailer, truck or boat has to live in the garage.

Paragraph 16, with Paragraph 13
✗ Not allowed

Running a business from home

No noxious or offensive trade or activity may be carried on on any lot, and every lot is known and described as a residential lot carrying one detached single-family house. A one-square-foot professional sign is allowed, which implies a professional practising from home was contemplated, but the covenant sets no other terms - so ask the committee.

Paragraph 7, with Paragraphs 1 and 12
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.

We can find out →
Conditional

Trash & recycling containers

No lot may be used as a dumping ground for rubbish. Trash, garbage and other waste have to be kept in sanitary containers, and any incinerator or storage equipment kept clean and sanitary.

Paragraph 11
Conditional

Grilling & outdoor cooking

Open burning of garbage or trash is forbidden - leaves are the one exception the covenant makes. A grill or a fire pit is not addressed.

Paragraph 11
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 documentRestrictive Covenants for Williamsburg Subdivision, St. Joseph County, Indiana
Recorded asDated and recorded 1974-04-15 in Miscellaneous Record 283, page 587
Declarant: North Shore Investment Company, Inc.
Runs 25 years from recording, then extends in ten-year terms unless a majority of owners agree to change it
How it was readThe recorded copy on file is a scan of paper with no digital text, so it was read by optical character recognition. That can misread individual words, which is why nothing on this page is presented as a direct quote.
Checked againstthe covenant's paragraph numbering runs unbroken from 1 through 22 and the declarant's name matches the signature page
The associationThe covenants create an architectural control committee - originally three named individuals - and give a majority of it power to designate a representative and to fill a vacancy. They do not create a homeowners association or set dues. Notably, the restrictions may be amended either by a majority vote of the owners OR by a two-thirds vote of the architectural control committee, which is an unusual amount of power to leave with a committee; any amendment has to be written, notarised and recorded before it takes effect.

Ask us about Williamsburg

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