2020 Minnesota Statutes

97C.355 SHELTERS ON ICE; DARK HOUSES AND FISH Next HOUSES.

Subdivision 1.Identification required.

All shelters on the ice of state waters, except portable shelters under subdivision 2a but including dark houses and Previous fish Next houses, must have: (1) the owner's name and address, (2) the owner's driver's Previous license Next number, or (3) the "MDNR#" Previous license Next identification number issued to the owner legibly displayed on the exterior with characters at least two inches high.

Subd. 2. Previous License Next required.

(a) A person may not place a dark Previous house Next , Previous fish Next Previous house Next , or shelter, except a portable shelter, on the ice unless the Previous house Next or shelter:

(1) is licensed; and

(2) has the Previous license Next tag attached to the exterior in a readily visible location, except as provided in this subdivision.

(b) The commissioner must issue a tag with a dark Previous house Next , Previous fish Next Previous house Next , or shelter Previous license Next , marked with a number to correspond with the Previous license Next and the year of issue. A dark Previous house Next , Previous fish Next Previous house Next , or shelter Previous license Next is not required of a resident on boundary waters where the adjacent state does not charge a fee for the same activity.

Subd. 2a.Portable shelters.

(a) A person using a portable shelter that is not identified under subdivision 1 may not leave the portable shelter unattended between midnight and sunrise and must remain within 200 feet of the shelter while the shelter is on the ice of state waters.

(b) If a person leaves the portable shelter unattended any time between midnight and one hour before sunrise or is not within 200 feet of the portable shelter, the portable shelter must be licensed as provided under subdivision 2.

Subd. 3.Door requirement.

A person may not use a dark Previous house Next or Previous fish Next Previous house Next unless the door is constructed so that it can be opened from the outside when it is in use.

Subd. 4.Distance between houses.

A person may not erect a dark Previous house Next , Previous fish Next Previous house Next , or shelter within ten feet of an existing dark Previous house Next , Previous fish Next Previous house Next , or shelter.

Subd. 5.Burning structures.

A person may not burn a structure on the ice of state waters without permission of the commissioner. The commissioner may allow burning only after determining that the structure cannot be removed from the ice by another reasonable manner. The owner must remove the remains of the burned structure from the ice.

Subd. 6.

[Repealed, 2006 c 281 art 2 s 58]

Subd. 7.Shelters prohibited; dates and times.

(a) A shelter, including a Previous fish Next Previous house Next or dark Previous house Next , may not be on the ice unattended between midnight and one hour before sunrise after:

(1) the first Monday in March, for state waters south of a line starting at the Minnesota-North Dakota border and formed by rights-of-way of U.S. Route No. 10, then east along U.S. Route No. 10 to Trunk Highway No. 34, then east along Trunk Highway No. 34 to Trunk Highway No. 200, then east along Trunk Highway No. 200 to U.S. Route No. 2, then east along U.S. Route No. 2 to the Minnesota-Wisconsin border; and

(2) the third Monday in March, for other state waters.

A shelter, including a Previous fish Next Previous house Next or dark Previous house Next , on the ice in violation of this subdivision is subject to the enforcement provisions of paragraph (b). The commissioner may, by rule, change the dates in this paragraph for any part of state waters. Copies of the rule must be conspicuously posted on the shores of the waters as prescribed by the commissioner.

(b) A conservation officer must confiscate a Previous fish Next Previous house Next , dark Previous house Next , or shelter in violation of paragraph (a). The officer may remove, burn, or destroy the Previous house Next or shelter. The officer shall seize the contents of the Previous house Next or shelter and hold them for 60 days. If the seized articles have not been claimed by the owner, they may be retained for the use of the division or sold at the highest price obtainable in a manner prescribed by the commissioner.

Subd. 7a.Houses left overnight.

A Previous fish Next Previous house Next , dark Previous house, or shelter left on the ice overnight must be marked with reflective material on each side of the structure. The reflective material must measure a total area of no less than two square inches on each side of the structure.

Subd. 8.Confiscating unlawful structures; civil penalty.

(a) Structures on the ice in violation of this section may be confiscated and disposed of, retained by the division, or sold at the highest price obtainable, in a manner prescribed by the commissioner.

(b) In addition to other penalties provided by law, the owner of a structure left on the ice in violation of this section is subject to a civil penalty under section 115A.99.

(c) This subdivision also applies to structures left on state public access sites for more than 48 hours past the deadlines specified in subdivision 7.

History:

1986 c 386 art 3 s 33; 1989 c 199 s 1; 1991 c 84 s 1; 1991 c 259 s 23; 1993 c 172 s 57; 1995 c 65 s 1; 1Sp1995 c 1 s 39,40; 1996 c 403 s 1; 1998 c 252 s 2; 2001 c 185 s 31,32; 2003 c 28 art 1 s 15,16; 2004 c 215 s 28; 2006 c 281 art 2 s 49; 2007 c 57 art 1 s 102; 2007 c 131 art 1 s 49; 2008 c 368 art 2 s 61-65; 2009 c 176 art 2 s 59; 2012 c 277 art 1 s 73,74; 2017 c 93 art 2 s 100,101; 2018 c 182 art 1 s 9