Ask a Conservation Officer

[Lee Borgersen]

  Ask a Conservation Officer:

         Rules for removing ice houses

By Matthew S. Miller, Minnesota DNR on Feb 25, 2018

 
Q: I heard the deadline for removing permanent ice houses from lakes is coming up soon. What is the deadline and why is there one?

A: Minnesota state law imposes a deadline for ice house removal based on normal or expected deterioration of ice conditions, and reasonable expectations for an angler to be able to remove their shelter before the ice becomes too unstable or the house ends up in the lake.


Dates of removal are determined by an east-west line formed by U.S. Highway 10, east along State Highway 34 to State Highway 200, east along Highway 200 to U.S. Highway 2, and east along Highway 2 to the Minnesota-Wisconsin border. South of this line, shelters are required to be removed by March 5. North of the line the deadline is March 19.

Part of a conservation officer's wintertime work is to document the location and identification of ownership of houses left on the ice past the deadline. Shelters not removed by this time may be confiscated and a citation issued to the owner.

Any shelters used for ice fishing after the deadline can only remain on the ice between midnight and one hour before sunrise if they are occupied. With our recent round of snow and expected slush buildup, now is a great time to block up your ice house and start thinking about when to remove it.

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