License for fishhouses on wheels?

[Coach]

Do you need to put a license plate on a fishhouse that has wheels??

[Sutty]

I would say yes if you are going to haul it down the road. Some kind of trailer license. No if you can get it on your lake without using the road. Or have a friend tailgate you to the lake.

[Ryan_V]

not if it is strictly a fish house. if you use it for anything else...then you need to license it as a trailer. but if all do is pull it to and from the lake, then all you need is a shelter license.

[Guest]

I have talked to Bud olson (Carver county sheriff) and he says that if he pulled me over pulling the house.. if i did not have a license on the frame that he would give me a ticket. for pulling a item that requires a license to be pulled... like he said to get a license for it is cheaper than getting a ticket...have fun getting a license for it also such a joke..i bought a new house paid the tax on it. Well since i did that than i need to show some card which i did not have ..so than i have to fill out this other thing that says i paid x amount for my items to build my house...(hint i used $300.00) you still have to pay tax on this amount which to get my license costed like $80..but i believe i should have gotten it for free since i paid tax already but whatever..

[BIG DS]

I will try and clarify it for you as simply as I can. If you only use it for ice fishing, which includes pullling it to and from the lake, it does not need anything other than the DNR shelter tag. If you use it for hunting or hauling an atv, it will need to be licensed as a trailer and will still need the DNR shelter tag. Either way, I would stronly recommend putting lights on it.

[Ryan_V]

bud is wrong. I'll look to see if I can find it in the regs and post here. as stated before, if is strictly a fish house, no trailer license is needed, other than the shelter tag. if, as also stated prior, you are hauling an atv or using it for anything other than ice fishing, you will then need to purchase a trailer license. as long it is just going down the road going to or coming from the lake, or just transporting it, no license needed. you still need to put the appropriate lights for brake, signal, etc on it. this info came straight from the DNR

[mnhunter2]

I tried to buy a trailer lic for the fishouse I built last year and the co lic center wanted to charge me sales tax on the total cost of the fishouse again after I had already paid the tax when I bought all the material, would have been 400.00 tax, and when she looked it up in the state laws it states that if it used for a fishouse you don't need a trailer lic and she wouldn't sell me one. The law doesn't read exclusively for a fish it say a fishouse so I would hope someone would figure out how we are to lic these fishouse the right way. Has anyone actually got a ticket for having a atv in the fishouse and not having the trailer lic on it?

[Augusta]

Ryan is correct. If you want to get a permanant license for your fishouse, you will have to pay the sales tax on the trailer if you don't have proof that you already paid the sales tax on the trailer. Let me clarify what I just said, you need to pay the sales tax on the trailer, not the actual house if you cannot prove that you already paid the sales tax, this excludes building the trailer yourself. Build yourself, and they will base the sales tax on the cost of the iron. Example: if you paid $1,000.00 for the trailer, you would pay $65.00 sales tax, plus trailer license $57.50, and $8.50 for the "administrative handling charge" giving you a total cost for a permanant trailer license of $121.00.

[fishingguy]

Its all in the "interpitation" of the law. I asked our local CO and he said that he would not ticket anyone if you were going to or from a lake. I asked a deputy sheriff and he said if you are using it for hauling, any type of transporting, an atv, or even fishing equipment, like an auger, rods, ect.. He considers it a trailer, not just a fish house and he would require a lic. Whos right? Not sure?

[dirtking]

Very interesting - there is a long line of fish house being pulled to Mille Lacs / LOTW every weekend in the winter - wonder what percentage of the houses have trailer licenses? I don't plan on licensing mine - I do not have a double door - but I plan on putting all of my equipment in there that will fit through the door. Anyone out there been ticketed?

[Boar]

I have a 17' camper converted to an fishhouse sleeper, every year I pay the shelter fees for it to be used as such. But since I use it for camping also I have to lisence it as a camper but as it it is over thirty yrs old that puts it into a very affordable rate of $6.00 a year. But initially I had to pay the tax on what I paid for it. I you use your fishhouse/trailer as both Then you should lisence it as both. Much cheaper in the long run. The DMV States that the camper being that it has holes cut in it an the tubes, an is abviously set up for a fishhouse then I dont need the camper lisence, but if I use it as a camper then dont take the chance. If you have a crank down fishhouse, designed for an used for, an only can be for an fishhouse what other classification can there be. Thats what it was designed soley for. But you can use it as a camper, Boy this is a sticky issue. I guese cover any avenue you can. I would love to be stoped with my camper fishhouse having both lisences an be ticketed for not having a trailer lisence cause I'm hauling my equipement in it. I can see where this is very debatable. Later boar

[Biggerfish]

I'm with you on that "tax cost". I think it is just out right robbery to pay tax twice.(double jeapordy). I also declared the value low to pay less and I'm sure every one else does also.

[Sonicrunch]

Quote:

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I have talked to Bud olson (Carver county sheriff) and he says that if he pulled me over pulling the house.. if i did not have a license on the frame that he would give me a ticket. for pulling a item that requires a license to be pulled... like he said to get a license for it is cheaper than getting a ticket...

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Wow, this sure does not inspire confidence in Bud Olson.

First, he is wrong.

Second, just because you get a ticket, doesn't mean you are guilty.

Sounds like Bud is trying to raise funds for Caver County.

[Bigsmitty]

When I bought my wheel house a few years ago I went into the Brainerd License Office and asked them if I needed a license for it. It was kinda embarassing when the three ladies behind the desk laughed at the question. The obvious answer was no. Since then ive used it for icefishing and camping with no problems.

[10,000 Casts]

Changing the subject a bit.

I read an article that says that any thing that is pulled down the road and is over 3500lbs needs trailer brakes and that state troopers were going to be cracking down on this law. Now... since a fishhouse is not a trailer does it qualify for that law? And my next question is, how many of you have a house that weighs over 3500lbs and no tralier brakes??

John

[love to hunt]

Coach,

As I am a manufacturer of fish houses I have checked into this subject extensivly to include State Patrol and, MNDOT.

Here is the scoop;

1) If your shelter is licensed with a DNR Shelter tag no further licensing is required unless;

a) Your shelter has cargo doors installed with the intention of loading items like an ATV. Cargo doors are not the same as entry doors, and they make your shelter a cargo trailer. Haveing rods, augers, coolers, luggage and other misc. items in the shelter does not make it a cargo trailer, the large cargo doors do.

Your shelter has all of the following; plumbing, ac/dc eletrical, perminant sleeping and cooking facilities, water hookups, gray/black water tanks or you are towing it for use as a camper then you are considered a camper and need to be licensed as such.

c) You must have stop, turn and park lights.

d) Trailers exceding 2999#'s and being towed on a public roadway must be equiped with breaks capible of stopping and holding the trailer (this does include fishhouses).

I licensed my wheel house as a a trailer simply because that is what was required by my insurance company to insure the unit. My license was about $100.00 for a lifetime license.

I hope this helps

[BIG DS]

Thanks for the perfect clarification. That should settle it.

[Coach]

'Love to hunt', thanks for the info.

[love to hunt]

10K Casts,

I would say it's safe to say that there are more then a few that tow over weight shelters on the road. Some get caught and most don't, but that of course doesn't make it right.

This is a subject that has been addressed on this forum in the past and has gotten very heated at times. I think I am pretty safe in saying that most will say it is a matter of choice. If you are over the limit and tow the unit anyways then that is your choice.

For clarification the max limit is 2999#

I am just finishing my own house and built it with 5200# spindles, and electric breaks even though it only weighs 2450#. Not because I have to but because I feel better about it.

For what it's worth, maybe not much.

[reelguy]

Quote:

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I have talked to Bud olson (Carver county sheriff) and he says that if he pulled me over pulling the house.. if i did not have a license on the frame that he would give me a ticket. for pulling a item that requires a license to be pulled... like he said to get a license for it is cheaper than getting a ticket...have fun getting a license for it also such a joke..i bought a new house paid the tax on it. Well since i did that than i need to show some card which i did not have ..so than i have to fill out this other thing that says i paid x amount for my items to build my house...(hint i used $300.00) you still have to pay tax on this amount which to get my license costed like $80..but i believe i should have gotten it for free since i paid tax already but whatever..

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Nice to see we have a great leader. Good thing many of his deputies are sportsmen and can enoforce the law CORRECTLY and he sits in the office!

[toolgarage]

I built a split axle fish house last year 14' "V" front, and attempted to get it licensed. I first called MN DNR, and talked with three different people - they didn't have a clue how it should be licensed - SCARY!!!.

I then called MNDOT. They explained that a split axle trailer, COULD NOT be licensed as a standard trailer - no matter what. I then called them back and told them I had built a home made trailer (no mention of the split axle), and they wanted a full list of components, photos, and a sworn affidavid submitted as a part of the license application - Gotta love our government (NOT!) so I gave up on that angle....

I then called the Minnesota Highway Patrol, and they said as long as you have a fish house license posted on the exterior of the house, it is legal to transport on public roadways (including freeways) to and from a lake, as long as it has all of the safety equipment a typical trailer would have (Lights, safety chains, standard rated hitch, etc).

I hear about all of these companies offering their split axle houses to be used in the summer for hauling wheelers, or using it as a camper, but based on the information I've listed above, I can't see how someone could legally transport a split axle fish house in the summer months in the state of Minnesota

Tool

[wingnutken]

In October I went to the DMV and spent 45 mins. while 3 clerks tried to figure out how to lisence my 8x16 Ice Castle. I had the sales reciept proving I paid the sales tax,a card with the serial number and a fully detailed list of everything in and on the house. I could not get a one time lisence so they sold me a plate with renewable tabs for 36.00. When they were done they told me I might get a letter from the state requesting a "Manufactures Statement of Origin"(MSO),and a VIN number because the 6 digit serial number didn't have enough characters in it. Sure enough, I got the letter last week requesting an MSO. I am now waiting on the guys from Ice Castle to send me an MSO. What a headache! I was at the DMV in Wayzata and I can,t believe that with all the portable fish houses out there, they have never had to sell a lisence for one. I feel now that I should just take my chances when I am towing it as a camper. With the lack of law enforcement on the roads, I doubt that I would ever get caught. Does anybody know how much the ticket would be? I also heard of a guy with the double doors in the back for a handicap access and he went to court to fight a ticket that he got for no lisence and he won. I don't feel it's fair that a person can get a ticket when the people at the DMV don't even know how to handle this issue, Ken