Make Sure Your Ice Fishing Shelter Is Properly Licensed + ID’d
Winter means frozen Northland lakes covered with ice fishing shelters. Before you put a line in the water, make sure your shelter is properly licensed and ID'd.
According to the Minnesota Department Of Natural Resources, the following rules apply for shelter licenses:
- All non-portable ice shelters must be licensed.
- Wheeled fish houses are not considered portable and must be licensed.
- An annual shelter license costs $15 for residents and $37 for non-residents, not
- including issuing fees that may be charged.
- A shelter license is valid from March 1 through April 30 of the following year.
- A shelter license is not required on border waters between Minnesota or Wisconsin, Iowa and North and South Dakota.
A portable shelter, which is a shelter that collapses, folds or is disassembled for transportation, only needs a license and identification when left unattended. An unattended shelter is defined as when all occupants are more than 200 feet away.
Here are the Minnesota ice shelter identification requirements:
- ONE of the following must be readily visible from the exterior of the shelter with characters at least 2 inches high: Owner's name and address, owner's drivers license number, or owner's Minnesota DNR identification number.
- If a shelter is left out overnight, it must have at least 2 square inches of reflective material on each side.
Follow the link below for complete Minnesota ice fishing shelter information, including shelter removal deadlines.
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