Q. The recent snow has made for some great snowmobiling conditions. What are the requirements for operating a snowmobile on groomed trails in North Dakota and Minnesota?
A. I’ll start with North Dakota, where the registration fee for residents is $40 for two years ($5 registration fee and $35 trail tax fee). North Dakota requires that all snowmobiles operated on public land be registered.
Owners of out-of-state registered snowmobiles must buy a $15 nonresident permit, which is good for one year. The permits are available online at parkrec.nd.gov.
Youth snowmobile operators must be at least 12 years old and have a valid driver’s license or complete a snowmobile safety training course from the state Parks and Recreation Department to operate a sled on public land. North Dakota also accepts snowmobile certifications from other states, so if you’re certified in Minnesota, for example, you’re good to go - providing, of course, you’ve got the nonresident trail permit to operate on state trails or public lands.
In Minnesota, residents now can buy a three-year snowmobile registration for $78.50, which allows operation on state grant-in-aid trails without the need to buy a special trail sticker.
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Nonresidents must purchase a $36 Snowmobile State Trail Sticker, good from Nov. 1 to June 30. Get caught without it, and you’ll be buying a one-year “penalty” sticker for $71 in addition to the fines for operating without one in the first place.
To legally operate a snowmobile, Minnesota residents born after Dec. 31, 1976, must have a snowmobile safety certificate in their possession or an indicator on their driver’s license or state ID card that they’re certified. Completing and passing a Minnesota snowmobile safety training course is required to become certified.
If you think the fees are pricey, think again. In Manitoba, for example, it costs $125 just to buy a permit to operate on the trails. Ontario charges a whopping $260 for an annual permit, while three-day permits cost $75, and seven-day permits cost $140.
- More info:
North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department: parkrec.nd.gov.
Minnesota DNR: mndnr.gov.
If you have a question for Talkin’ with Dokken, call (701) 780-1148 or send an email to bdokken@gfherald.com .
