Tryon Township owns the bed of Lake Lanier, but all properties surrounding the lake are in Greenville, SC. The lake is private, so citizens of Tryon do not get to use it. The township owns the lake for water treatment purposes.

Problems arise, as they recently did again, when somebody feels lakefront property owners are not upholding Tryon zoning ordinances. The city must use taxpayer dollars for enforcement, which has in the past included court battles. Lakefront residents do not pay Tryon taxes, so some have questioned why they are entitled to zoning “services.”