Covenants Amendments 2026

This page contains information on 4 proposed covenant amendments being brought before the community by the Royal Run Board of Directors in 2026. You may scroll down this entire page to see information on each proposed amendment or jump to specific ones with links just below this paragraph. Each of the 700 homes in the community gets one voting ballot which contains all 4 proposed amendments. Please review each of the 4 issues before beginning the voting process, as residents will be asked to cast yea or nay votes for each of the 4 amendments during the voting session. Additionally, 2 survey questions will be presented to the homeowner during the process to collect information for other significant decisions being undertaken by the Board of Directors.

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Letter sent to all homeowners

Specific information on each proposed amendment and each survey question

LETTER SENT BY MAIL TO ALL HOMEOWNERS:

[Letter to be drafted announcing proposed covenant amendments]

Regards,

Royal Run Subdivision Board of Directors

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Solar Panels – Amendment 1

General purpose of amendment: Permit solar panels to be allowed at people’s homes.

Specific change being proposed:

Article V, Section 5.27 of the Declaration governing Royal Run currently states as follows:

5.27 Solar Panels.  No solar heat panels shall be permitted on roofs of any structures in the Subdivision. All such panels shall be enclosed within fenced areas and shall be concealed from the view of neighboring Lots, Common Area and the streets.

Article V, Section 5.27 as stated above shall be deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

5.27 Solar Panels.  As used herein, the term “solar energy system” means a solar photovoltaic device whose primary purpose is to use solar energy to produce electricity. Solar energy systems, including, without limitation, solar panels and solar shingles, may be installed on a Lot if approved in writing by the Architectural Review Committee. The Owner’s application must include a site plan showing where the system is to be installed, a manufacturer’s description of the system, including materials, colors, and photos, and any other information the Committee may reasonably require. The Board or Committee may, in its discretion, adopt additional guidelines and criteria applicable to solar energy systems, including, but not limited to, guidelines regulating style, placement, color, size, and other aesthetic factors. In the event a request is denied, Owners may pursue a petition following the procedures and requirements set forth in Indiana Code 32-25.5-3.5, as may from time to time be amended.

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Beehive restrictions – Amendment 2

General purpose of amendment: Indiana ruled in 2024 that HOAs cannot stop beehives being brought onto properties, but they can impose guidelines as far as things like number of hives and location. Because there is no verbiage at all today in the covenants, there would be no way to challenge a large number of hives or hives put in a location near a sidewalk or neighbor’s property without adding something to the declaration; this amendment would add restrictions on locations, numbers of hives, types of bees, etc.

Specific change being proposed:

A new Article V, Section 5.33 shall be added to the Declaration, which shall state as follows:

5.33 Beehives.  Installation of beehives placed on a Lot within the community must follow State of Indiana guidelines for beekeeping, including, but not limited to, regulations pertaining to health and safety, importing of non-native bees, and destruction of pests and pathogens.  Only honeybees actively maintained to produce honey may be kept on a Lot. Beekeeping equipment and hives shall be restricted to the rear or side yards and shall not be located closer than twenty (20) feet from any property line, any public sidewalk or pathway, any roadway, or any park or playground area. No more than two (2) hives are allowed per Lot. Each hive shall have a maximum size of twenty (20) cubic feet. Beehives shall face away from the house, either east or southeast facing (toward the sun), and shall not face directly into a fence, wall, or tree. Flyway barriers may be erected as needed, and freshwater access for bees is required. The Board may adopt additional regulations pertaining to the placement and maintenance of beehives on a Lot consistent with Indiana law, including regulations pertaining to the number and location of hives.

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Fencing – Amendment 3

General purpose of amendment: Allow additional modern fence types to be installed in the yards of residents. Currently the community is restricted to wood and black vinyl only.

Specific change being proposed:

Article V, Section 5.25 of the Declaration shall be amended as follows (specific change in bold and struck-through below):

5.25 Fencing.  No fence shall be erected on or along any Lot line, nor on any Lot, the purposes or result of which will be to obstruct reasonable vision, light or air. All fences shall be kept in good repair and erected so as to enclose the property and decorate the same without unreasonable hindrance or obstruction to any other property. Any fencing permitted to be used in the Subdivision (unless installed by Developer) must be wooden or black vinyl coated chain link and shall not be higher than five (5) feet. Uncoated chain link fencing is prohibited. No fencing shall extend forward of the furthest back corner of the residence. All fencing style, color, location and height shall be generally consistent within the Subdivision and shall be subject to prior written approval of the Architectural Review Committee. No fences are allowed in easements and if erected, are erected at Owner’s risk as such fences may be partially or completely torn down by others if said fences interfere with the installation, operation, and/or maintenance of the facilities for which the easement has been reserved.

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Trash Concealment – Amendment 4

General purpose of amendment: Provide more options for trash concealment / empower the ARC committee to approve various methods for storing of trash and recycling containers. Remove the requirement that payment to the hauler must be by homeowner, as this limits the number of haulers that can bid on the neighborhood (many will not bid RR because of the homeowner-only requirement).

Specific change being proposed:

Article V, Section 5.10 of the Declaration shall be amended as follows (specific changes in bold and struck-through below):

5.10 Garbage and Refuse Disposal. Trash and refuse disposal will be on an individual basis, Lot by Lot. The Subdivision shall not contain dumpsters or other forms of general or common trash accumulation except to facilitate development and house construction. No Lot shall be used or maintained as a dumping ground for trash, nor shall any accumulation of refuse or trash be permitted on any Lot. Rubbish, garbage and other waste shall be kept in sanitary containers of a type, kind and capacity to be determined by the Board Developer. All equipment for storage or disposal of such materials shall be kept clean and shall not be stored on any Lot in open public view except in trash enclosures as permitted by the Committee consistent with guidelines as the Committee may adopt, and shall be maintained so as to be environmentally acceptable. No rubbish, garbage or other waste shall be allowed to accumulate on any Lot or Common Area. No homeowner or occupant of a Lot shall burn or bury any garbage or refuse on any Lot or Common Area in the Subdivision. Weekly trash, refuse and recycling haulers shall be selected by the Association so to coordinate pickup. Payment to the haulers will be made directly by the homeowner.

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Natural Plantings Area on RR BLVD – SURVEY Question 1

The natural plantings area on RR BLVD in the common area underneath the powerlines covers just over 1 acre in total. It has been one of the more controversial undertakings of the community, with many strong supporters vocalizing it should stay and even grow to other parts of the community, and many vocalizing that it needs to be removed.

The board would like homeowners to express how they feel about the natural plantings area to help the board make decisions for what happens next in the community in addressing prairie areas. Homeowners should choose the option that best aligns with their point of view.

  1. Love the prairie, invest in more of them for other areas in the community.
  2. Love the prairie but would not want more than this one. It’s working as is.
  3. The prairie is a nice idea but is not working as is. Invest more money in contractors to treat thistle and other undesirable growth multiple times per season.
  4. The prairie is a nice idea but is not working as is. Enlist volunteers and the community to help control thistle to improve it without spending more money on it.
  5. Do not like the prairie / revert it to grass turf similar to other common area sections.

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New Pool Operations Feedback – SURVEY Question 2

2025 was the first year that the Royal Run pool operated without lifeguards and was open from 8am – 8pm. This helped lower operating costs substantially and enabled a longer operating season. The board would like homeowners to share feedback on how things went and what they would like to see this season.

Homeowners will be asked to check boxes (multiple / as many as are applicable) along the lines of various feedback ideas, and an open text box for additional written feedback will be provided. Feedback ideas to choose from – Cleanliness of pool and bathrooms, red/green status light being helpful or not, hours of operation.

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