To its users, Lake Charlevoix is simply a beautiful body of water, running seamlessly from Boyne City and East Jordan to its outlet at Round Lake.

But to the people charged with its legal governance, it is a tangled web, with many layers of controls and a sometimes bewildering host of rules and regulations.

At the most local level of government, the three cities and seven townships divide shoreline responsibility for such things as planning and zoning, building permits and inspection, protecting greenbelts and guarding against leaky septic systems or agricultural pollutants. We've tried to pull together a bunch of their regulations and the permit forms we think most of us might use. You'll find them here, along with links to the town and city websites and a schedule of their regular meetings.

Lake Charlevoix lies entirely within Charlevoix County, which carries out a wide variety of state-mandated activities affecting the lake. Its Health Department, for instance, monitors water quality at public beaches and its Sheriff is responsible for enforcing rules on boat speed, noise, registration and other requirements. Its Road Commission has duties affecting the quality of the roads around the lake, the operation of the Ironton Ferry and problems with road-runoff into the lake. The Planning Department prepares county-wide land-use rules that affect development around the lake. And its Tax Department is in charge of property assessment and property tax collections. Click here to visit its website.

State agencies also have control of other aspects of lake life. Most Lake Charlevoix users can find answes at the website of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources or the Department of Environmental Quality.

The U.S. Coast Guard conducts rescue operations on Lake Charlevoix and Lake Michigan. It has a small station in Charlevoix (phone 231-547-2541). Its nearest full-service base is in Grand Haven.

The Army Corps of Engineers also exerts authority over some lake activities, notably permanent and seasonal docks and requests for modifying wetlands. The Detroit District offices supervise a more local office in Gaylord.