Covenants

All of the lots in the Canterbury Woods subdivisions shall be subject to the following restrictive covenants which shall remain in force until an instrument, signed by a majority of the then owners of the lots, has been agreed to changing these covenants in whole or in part.  An Architectural Control Com­mit­tee, established through Covenant 1, shall supervise Covenants 2 through 9. The Canterbury Woods Civic Association, acting through its Executive Board, shall supervise Covenants 10 through 18.  Invalidation of any of these covenants or restrictions by judgment or court order shall in no wise affect any other provi­sions that shall remain in full force and effect.

  1. There is established an Architectural Control Committee, with initial membership determined by the real estate developer of Canterbury Woods, to supervise paragraphs 2 through 9 of these restrictive coven­ants. A majority of the Architectural Control Committee may designate a represen­ta­tive to act for it.  In the event of death or resignation of any member of the Committee, the remaining members shall have full authority to designate a successor.  Neither the members of the Committee, nor any designated representa­tive, shall be entitled to any compensation for services performed pursuant to this covenant.  At any time, a majority of the record owners of the lots shall have the power, through a duly executed written instrument, to change the mem­ber­ship of the Committee, or to withdraw from the Committee or restore to it any of its powers and duties.  The Committee’s approval or disap­proval as required in these covenants shall be in writing.  In the event the Com­mittee, or its desig­nated representative, fails to approve or disap­prove plans and specifications within 30 days after they have been submitted to it, or in any event, if no suit to enjoin the construction has been com­menced prior to the completion thereof, approval will not be required and the relative covenants will be deemed to have been fully complied with.
  2. No lot or part of said premises shall be used except for residential purposes with the exception of lot 5 (Canterbury Woods Swim Club, Inc), which is expressly excluded from this restriction.  Home-based businesses are exempt from this restriction only if they are allowable under Fairfax County ordinances, do not increase vehicular traffic, and do not entail or require activity on the lot that is visible from the street or from any other lot.
  3. No residential building shall be erected, altered, placed or permitted to remain on any lot other than one detached single-family dwelling not to exceed two and one-half stories in height, and an attached private garage, or a detached garage connected to the dwelling by a continuous roof, for not more than two vehicles.  The ground floor area of the main structure, exclusive of one-story open porches and garages, shall not be less than 750 square feet for a one-story dwelling, nor less than 450 square feet for a dwelling of more than one story.
  4. Easements for installations and maintenance of utilities and drainage facilities are reserved over the rear 5 feet of each lot.
  5. No building shall be erected, altered, placed or permitted to remain on any lot without the written approval of the Architectural Control Com­mittee.  All approved construction, altera­tion, or placement shall be in accordance with Fairfax County ordinances, properly permitted as to quality of workmanship and materials and as to location with respect to topography and finish grade elevation, and be in harmony with respect to external design with existing structures.  For all new construction, altera­tion, or placement, the owner shall submit in writing to the Architec­tural Control Committee a preliminary or con­cep­tual design for its approval prior to com­men­cing the construction, alteration, or placement. Upon approval, the owner is free to implement such construc­tion, alteration, or placement in accordance with Fairfax County ordinances.
  6. No building shall be located on any lot nearer to the front lot line or nearer to the side street line than the minimum building set back lines shown on the recorded plat.  In any event, no building shall be located on any lot nearer than 25 feet to the front lot line or nearer than 25 feet to any side street line.  No outbuilding shall be located nearer than 5 feet to any interior lot line.  No dwelling shall be located on any interior lot nearer than 25 feet to the rear lot line.  For the purposes of this covenant, eaves, steps, carports, and open porches shall not on any lot be on other than one detached single-family dwelling not to exceed two and one-half stories in height, and a private garage for not more than two vehicles.
  7. No dwelling shall be erected or placed on any lot having a width of less than 55 feet at the building line, nor shall any dwelling be erect­ed or placed on any lot to encroach upon an adjacent lot.
  8. No building shall be placed nor shall any mater­ial or refuse be placed or stored on any lot within 20 feet of the property line of any park or edge of any open water course, except that clean fill may be placed nearer, provided that the natural water course is not altered or blocked by such fill.
  9. No fence or wall shall be erected, placed or alter­ed on any lot nearer to any street than the mini­mum building set back line unless approved by the Architectural Control Com­mittee.  No fence or enclosure shall be built upon or around any lot nearer to the street or avenue upon which the lots front, than the rear line of the residential structure situated on the side lot, which rear line is determined by extending to each side line of said lot a line parallel to and contiguous with the rear outline of said residential structure.  Such fence or enclosure must be a neat wire, wood, wood rail, stone, brick, or vinyl fence not over six feet in height.  Lots with pools must comply with all applicable Fairfax County ordinances related to fencing and access control.
  10. No noxious or offensive activity shall be carried on upon any lot or any portion of the common area, nor shall anything be done or placed thereon which may become an annoy­ance or nuisance to the neighborhood.  Property owners shall, at all times, maintain their property and all appurtenances thereto in good repair and in a state of neat appearance.  Except for flower beds, vegetable or rock gardens, shrubs, and trees which shall be neatly maintained, all open lot areas shall be neatly maintained as lawns or other ground cover and kept mowed or trimmed at a uniform height.
  11. No structure of a temporary character, trailer, base­ment, tent, shack, garage, barn or other out­building shall be used on any lot at any time as a residence, either temporarily or permanent­ly.
  12. No junk vehicle, house trailer, or commercial vehicles, such as but not limited to moving vans, trucks, tractors, wreckers, hearses, com­pressors, concrete mixers or buses, shall be kept on any lot or any portion of the common areas.  Storage on any lot of boats, travel trailers, camp­ing equip­ment or trailers shall be hidden as much as possi­ble from view from the street.
  13. Vehicular parking shall be on concrete, asphalt, or other hard surfaces only; parking vehicles on lawn surfaces is prohibited except for brief periods for loading or unloading.
  14. No clothing, laundry, or wash shall be aired or dried on any portion of any lot other than in the rear of the lot.
  15. No sign of any kind that is illuminated and/or is larger than four square feet shall be display­ed to the public view on any lot, except temporary real estate signs advertising the property for sale or rent and except for temporary signs erected in connection with the development, construction, lease, or sale of improved lots.
  16. No horse, pony, cow, chicken, pig, hog, sheep, goat, or other domestic or wild animal shall be kept or maintained on any lot or any portion on the common areas; however, household pets, such as dogs, cats, may be kept or main­tained provided that they are not kept, bred, or main­tained for commercial purposes and do not create a nuisance or annoyance to surrounding lots or the neighborhood.
  17. No lot shall be used or maintained as a dump­ing ground for rubbish or appliances. Trash and garbage contain­ers shall not be permitted to remain in open public view at the curb except on days of trash collection or on the evening before such days.  No accumulation or storage of litter, new or used building material, or trash of any other kind shall be permitted on any lot. Trash, garbage or other waste shall not be kept except in sanitary containers or as otherwise prescrib­ed by Fairfax County Ordinances. All other equipment for the storage and disposal of such material shall be kept in a clean condition.  Recycling shall be kept in closed containers if stored outside of a residence or garage.
  18. No tree, hedge or shrub planting shall be maintained in such a manner as to obstruct sight lines for vehicular traffic or to obstruct public walkways or imperil safety.