DNR: Ice Shanty Removal Dates Begin Next Weekend for Portions of Lower Peninsula

Ice shanty removal dates are quickly approaching.

The first removal date is set for this Sunday on Lake St. Clair.

The Michigan DNR says owners whose structures fall through the ice are subject to penalties of up to 30 days in jail, fines up to $500, or both. If a shanty is removed by a government agency, the court can require the owner to reimburse that agency for up to three times the cost of removal.

Lower Peninsula

Ice shanties on Lake St. Clair, located northeast of Detroit, must be removed before sunset Sunday, Feb. 27.

Shanties in the northern Lower Peninsula must be removed by midnight Tuesday, March 15. Those counties include Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Arenac, Bay, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Clare, Crawford, Emmet, Gladwin, Grand Traverse, Iosco, Isabella, Kalkaska, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta, Midland, Missaukee, Montmorency, Newaygo, Oceana, Ogemaw, Osceola, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon and Wexford.

Ice shanties in the remaining counties of the Lower Peninsula must be removed by midnight Tuesday, March 1.

Upper Peninsula

On Michigan-Wisconsin boundary waters, ice shanties must be removed by midnight Tuesday, March 15.

All other bodies of water in the Upper Peninsula must have ice shanties removed by midnight Thursday, March 31.