How long does the Architectural Committee have to answer?

Thirty days from when your plans and specifications are submitted.

The covenants then say something members should know about, and should be careful with. If the Board or its designated committee **fails to approve or disapprove** the design and location within those 30 days, the covenant states that approval will not be required, and that this Article will be deemed to have been fully complied with.

The same clause covers a second situation — where no suit to stop the addition, alteration or change has been started before the work is finished.

Three things to understand about that clause.

**It is about the covenant only.** It says the Article has been complied with. It does not touch any other requirement.

**It does not affect Township permits.** Freeman Township's Zoning Ordinance requires a zoning compliance permit and a Clare County requires a building permit (predicated on the Township zoning approval) before work begins, and that is a set of separate processes with their own consequences. Nothing in the Association's covenants changes what the Township or County requires.

**It is not a shortcut worth planning around.** Whether it applies to a particular set of circumstances is a judgment about a specific situation, not something to assume from a website article.

The practical takeaway: submit complete plans, keep a copy and note the date you submitted them, and follow up with the office if you have not heard back. If you believe your 30 days have passed and you are not sure where you stand, contact the office and ask — before you start work, not after.

*Source: Restrictive Covenants, Article VI, Section 1.*