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The Bear Lake Township handbook

Living in Bear Lake Township, MI: what to set up and who to call

Elections in Bear Lake Township are run by Bear Lake Township itself; register with the Bear Lake Township Clerk. Most of Bear Lake Township has one wired internet choice: Spectrum.

Which school will my kid attend?How do I register to vote?ZIP codes

I’m new in town

What to set up in Bear Lake Township, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

PowerConsumers Energyinvestor-owned utility · 20.7¢/kWhMore →Internet5 providers83% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsMore →Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Bear Lake Township’s trash rules yetMore →SchoolKalkaska Public SchoolsWhich school depends on grade and addressMore →Register to voteOnlineRules from vote.govMore →ZIP codes49646, 49738, 49633Where people live, not P.O. boxesMore →
Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Bear Lake Township.

Electricity

Power comes from Consumers Energy

Consumers Energy (Consumers Energy Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Bear Lake Township. Its homes paid an average of 20.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $134 a month (its average across Michigan).

Start or move service: consumersenergy.com · (800) 477-5050

Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.

Internet

5 home internet providers serve Bear Lake Township

83% of 981 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
SpectrumCable81%1,000/1,000
FrontierDSL11%10/1
Bug TusselFixed wireless11%10/1
T-MobileFixed wireless9%25/3
VerizonFixed wireless6%300/20

FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Bear Lake Township’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Bear Lake Township.

Trash, recycling and bulk pickupNot on fileOpenStreetMap lists no public drop-off in Bear Lake Township or within 5 miles (as of Oct 9, 2026); map coverage varies by town.
Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Bear Lake Township kids go to
PK–52 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–8Kalkaska Middle Schoolin Kalkaska
9–12Kalkaska High Schoolin Kalkaska

Most of Bear Lake Township (89%) is in Kalkaska Public Schools; parts are in Crawford AuSable Schools (11%).

Test scores and every school: see Schools →

U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.

Government & voting

Town hall and registering to vote

Who to call, and how to register.

Town HallBudget, officials, electionsBear Lake Township’s government in one page
Who runs elections hereBear Lake Township ClerkBear Lake Township runs its own elections (town clerk). 198 E BEAR LAKE RD ne, KALKASKA, MI 49646 · (231) 258-4871 · [email protected]FVAP, Nov 2025
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govCheck your registration and polling placemvic.sos.state.mi.usThe state’s voter lookup

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Nov 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.

ZIP codes & area codes

Bear Lake Township spans 3 ZIP codes

ZIP codes where Bear Lake Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of Bear Lake TownshipZIP’s residents in Bear Lake Township
49646Kalkaska, MI70%5%
49738Grayling, MI27%2%
49633Fife Lake, MI3%0%

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

Getting around, the ER and the library

One line each; the subject pages have the rest.

Nearest emergency roomMunson Healthcare Grayling Hospital9.7 miles awayGet a library cardCrawford County Library201 Plum Street · (989) 348-9214

ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.

Questions about living in Bear Lake Township

Who provides electricity in Bear Lake Township?

Consumers Energy (Consumers Energy Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 20.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Bear Lake Township?

Spectrum, Frontier, Bug Tussel, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Bear Lake Township?

49646 (70%), 49738 (27%), 49633 (3%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Bear Lake Township in?

Kalkaska Public Schools. Parts of the city are in Crawford AuSable Schools.

How do I register to vote in Bear Lake Township?

In Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Bear Lake Township Clerk. Check your registration at mvic.sos.state.mi.us.

Sources & dates

Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.

  • Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
  • Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
  • ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
  • Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
  • Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
  • Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
  • Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.