DNR: Deadline To Remove Ice Fishing Houses Is Near

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding anglers that the deadline to remove their ice fishing houses from the ice is quickly approaching.

In the southern two-thirds of the state, anglers have until Monday, March 2 to remove their shelters from Minnesota lakes.

The northern third of the state has an extended deadline. Any shelter located in these parts needs to be removed by Monday, March 16.

If a shelter isn't removed by the deadline, its owner will be cited and the house may be confiscated or destroyed by a conservation officer.

After the deadline has passed, shelters can only be on the ice between midnight and one hour before sunrise, and only when occupied. They cannot be stored at public access points either.

The only exceptions to the DNR's rules are removal deadlines in the following areas:

Minnesota-Canada border waters (March 31)
Minnesota-South Dakota and North Dakota border waters (March 5
Minnesota-Wisconsin border waters (March 1)
Minnesota-Iowa border waters (Feb. 20)