MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING & BOATING CLUB
RULES OF THE LAKE
Revised July 2020
- Each member of the Lake Association shall be allowed to operate no more than FOUR properly marked
watercraft (motorized or otherwise) on the lake at the same time. (this is mainly to allow for groups up to 4 to
use kayaks and other similar watercraft) - All hard-sided watercraft used on the lake shall have permanently affixed, to the right front side, the
current decal issued by the lake association. The only watercraft that does not need a decal are inflatable
craft such as floats, tubes, boards, etc. (All craft must have an updated decal by 04/01/2021)
a. Decals must be purchased either by mail or at lakebeckyla.com.
b. Same day purchases or direct from board member purchases are no longer allowed.
c. Please allow two weeks for stickers to be processed. - No guest watercraft or non-member watercraft of any kind shall be allowed on the lake.
- There shall be no launching or retrieval of watercraft from the dam or spillway areas.
- Jet Skis/personal watercraft shall be allowed on the lake, with the following restrictions:
A. No newly acquired Jet Ski/personal watercraft will be given decals or allowed on the lake
after March 1, 2005. (Moved up from E to reflect current rules)
B. No Jet Ski/personal watercraft shall enter a cove with fishing boat(s) or swimmer(s) present,
except to depart or re-enter the watercraft operator’s property, and then only at low speed (5 miles
per hour.)
C. Jet Skis/personal watercraft shall follow all other rules for motorized watercraft on the lake.
D. Jet Ski/personal watercraft operators shall follow all South Carolina laws pertaining to the use of
Jet Skis and personal watercraft.
E. All Jet Ski/personal watercraft shall use the lake only between the hours of 0900 – 1800. (9:00
AM – 6:00 PM) - All watercraft must travel in a counterclockwise direction on the lake.
- All powered watercraft and water skiers shall stay a minimum of 25 feet away from all piers, boathouses,
fishermen, swimmers, and shorelines. - All watercraft towing skiers, tubers, or persons upon any other floating object must have either an observer
aboard, in addition to the driver of the boat, or a wide-angle rearview mirror. Any person(s) being towed on
skis, tubes, etc., shall wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket. - No skiing, tubing, etc., shall be done after dark.
- All watercraft must use boating lights if operated after dark. Speed shall not exceed 5 miles per hour after
dark. - The maximum speed on the lake shall be 30 miles per hour. The maximum speed in coves shall be 5 miles
per hour. - No racing shall be allowed on the lake.
2 - Littering of any type shall not be permitted.
- No person or persons shall use the lake in a hazardous or unsafe manner. No watercraft shall follow a skier or
tuber in line with the towboat. - Any property owner having a private boat ramp must gate and lock it to prevent use by non-members.
- No person(s) other than those duly authorized by the Board shall attempt to operate the valves on the spillway
intake structure. - All persons will be required to maintain a minimum distance of 25 feet from the intake structure.
- All fishing shall be done in accordance with South Carolina laws. No trot lines, fish baskets, jug fishing, or
netting of fish is allowed. - If a dispute arises as to the interpretation of the boating rules, such dispute shall be resolved by reference to
the South Carolina Boater’s Handbook. Any such dispute shall be brought to the attention of the Board of
Directors by a written request for interpretation. The Board of Directors will act upon the request at its next
scheduled meeting. - The level of Mountain Lake (Lake Becky) will be lowered every two years in order to allow members to
perform work projects in the lake bed. The lake valve will be opened the first of November of each year it is
scheduled to be lowered, and the valve will be closed the first of February of the following year. (i.e. The
Lake will be up for two years, then lowered on the fourth year.) If no members have filed notices for planned
work projects then the lake will not be lowered as scheduled. If the was not brought down as scheduled after
two years, then the lake will be lowered after two additional years even if no work requests have been filed.
(i.e. The lake will be lowered at a minimum of every four years.) - Docks, piers, and boathouses may not extend more than 25 feet into the lake. The dimensions of any structure
extending into Lake Association property shall be measured from the established lot lines; such line or staub
shall be located and flagged by the property owner. - Seawalls and/or riprap shall follow lakefront property lines. Minor deviations will be allowed in order to
obtain straight lines. In no instance shall seawalls and/or riprap encroach onto Lake Association property. - Any dredging or building of any structures on the lake bottom must be approved by the board. No rock or fill
shall be placed on the lake bottom for any reason without permission from the board. Members must contact
the board with plans for approval prior to beginning such project(s). - No new boat ramps shall be built into or onto the lake bottom.
- In accordance with the conveyance of control on file, all properties on the lake shall have a minimum of 50
(Fifty) feet of lake frontage in order to qualify for membership in the club. Those currently having less than
50 (Fifty) feet as of 12/31/2019 shall be grandfathered at their present footage. - Any violation of lake rules shall be subject to the following scheduled punishments:
A. First offense – A warning shall be issued, and the violator informed of the rule(s) broken
and the reason for such rule(s).
B. Second offense – Immediate sanction by the Board of Directors at a called meeting to be
held within thirty days of the warning including either revocation or restriction of lake
privileges. Immediately following the special Board meeting, the Board will notify the
member in writing of its decision regarding revocation or restriction of lake rights. - Any member desiring to contest an imposed sanction shall do so by submitting to the Board a written
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intention to contest. The Board of Directors shall permit the party contesting the sanction to be present at a
special called meeting of either the Board or a special committee formed by the Board to include lake
Board members and non-Board members. The meeting is to be held within thirty days following the
receipt of the written intention to contest. The Board will determine whether a sanction is in order. Any
member desiring to appeal the Board’s decision shall do so by submitting to the Board a written intention to
appeal and presenting their case at the next annual meeting of the Lake Association membership. A decision
by the Lake Association membership shall be final without any further right of appeal. Any decisions made
by the Board will remain in effect until the next annual meeting of the Lake Association membership. - Members acknowledge that structures, appurtenances, or watercraft that are afloat in the lake or built
on the lake bed or properties owned by the Club and are there by permits from the Lake Association.
Members acknowledge that in order to maintain the safety of the lake, these structures, appurtenances,
or watercraft must be maintained in good repair. Boats that are either inoperable or sunken, must be
immediately removed from the lake property at the owner’s expense. Structures with loose boards or in
otherwise unsound condition must be repaired or removed by the owner. Trees from a member’s
property that fall into the lake must be promptly removed. Failure to correct any of the abovementioned incidents will result in written notification by the Board.
Upon written notification by the Board, the member will have thirty days to either take corrective
action to remedy the problem or notify the Board in writing of their plan to take corrective action. The
Board must either approve the action plan or notify the member that their plan is unacceptable. If no
action is taken by the member to correct the issue, the Board reserves the right to pursue all remedies
available under due process in a court of law. Should it be necessary to pursue legal action, the member
will be responsible for all court costs.
Special Lake Use Rules for Short Term Renters
Short Term Renters must follow all current “Rules of the Lake” plus the following additional rules:
- Short Term Renters are extended the privilege to fish, swim and use non-motorized watercraft in the lake.
Non-motorized watercraft includes canoes, kayaks, john boats, row boats, body, stand-up boards, and
any other small craft that is not powered by gas or electricity. Use of watercraft by short term renters
shall be in any cove and within 50 feet of shoreline. - All watercraft used by renters must be registered and the lake association will provide the vessels with
proper identification that should be attached to the right side of the vessel. Soft-sided or inflatable craft
does not require ID. - NO OUTSIDE WATERCRAFT IS ALLOWED is allowed; all craft in lake must be owned by the
property owners and be registered. - No swimming or use of watercraft without proper lighting after dark.
- Guest of the lake are NOT allowed within 25 feet of dam or dam equipment. Guests are not allowed to
use the boat launch area. - All fishing shall be in accordance to SC laws and trot lines, fish baskets, jug fishing, or netting of fish is
not allowed. - All renters should be directed to these rules and acknowledge that they understand the lake use rules
prior to arrival. Property owners (members) are responsible for guests and guests use of the lake. - Renters are subject to all local and state laws. Any violation of these laws/rules will result in loss of lake
privilege for the guests, and could result in fines, loss of deposits, eviction from property. - Guest and owners both agree that if a guest breaks rules or/and causes issues that the owner will give a
negative rating on the rental agreement site. - Quiet hours are 11PM to 7AM
- Our lake is a beautiful mountain treasure, we want residents and guest to have a safe and enjoyable time
at the lake and in the mountains. Please keep our area clean and the lake free of trash.