Fish Shelter Identification Required

From Minnesota DNR

Conservation officers from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have some reminders for ice anglers and others who plan to place shelters on the ice of Minnesota waters this winter.

All shelters placed on the ice must display either the complete name and address, a driver’s license number, or the nine-digit DNR number on the license of the owner. The information must be plainly and legibly displayed on the outside of the shelter, in letters and figures at least 2 inches high. The requirement includes ice skating warming houses and other traditional structures placed on the ice, either temporarily or overnight.

There are other shelter regulations:

• Any shelter (fish houses, dark houses, warming houses, etc.) left on the ice at any time between midnight and one hour prior to sunrise must have a shelter license.
• The Department of Public Safety now requires the registration of trailers used to haul ice fishing houses or dark houses, and enclosed trailers or recreational trailers used for fishing. Registration can be done at a local deputy registrar.
• A tag, furnished with a license, must be attached to the exterior in a readily visible location.
• Shelters left on the ice overnight need to have at least 2 square inches of reflective material on each side of the house.
• A shelter license is not required on border waters with Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota or South Dakota.
• On border waters, shelters must comply with the identification requirements of the state for which the angler is licensed.
• A shelter may not be erected within 10 feet of an existing shelter.
• Portable shelters may be used for fishing within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), but must be removed from the ice each night. The structure must be removed from the BWCAW each time the occupant leaves the BWCAW.