# Safety Zone Question.



## tacocrick

I am having a debate with someone over the interpretation of the law on a safety zone around buildings. The question is simple. What constitutes such a safety zone. This apply only too one property in questions " the landowners " where the weapon will be discharged or would this same ( 450 feet ) apply to a home or building of an adjacent property ? 

Another way said... Property owner 1 or his guest stands at the property line, and discharges a weapon lessor of 450 feet from a next door neighbors home.. Who's safety zone is in question.

[SIZE=+1]*Safety Zones Around Buildings*[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Safety zones are all areas within 150 yards (450 feet) of an occupied building, house, cabin, or any barn or other building used in a farm operation. No person, including archery and crossbow hunters, may hunt or discharge a firearm, crossbow or bow in a safety zone, or shoot at any wild animal or wild bird within a safety zone, without the written permission of the owner or occupant of such safety zone. The safety zone applies to hunting only. It does not apply to indoor or outdoor shooting ranges, target shooting, law enforcement activities or the discharge of firearms, crossbows or bows for any non-hunting purpose.[/SIZE]


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## multibeard

You have to be 450 feet from ANY neighboring dwelling even though you may have permission to hunt with in the 450 feet of the dwelling on the property you are hunting on.


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## boehr

tacocrick said:


> I am having a debate with someone over the interpretation of the law on a safety zone around buildings. The question is simple. What constitutes such a safety zone. This apply only too one property in questions " the landowners " where the weapon will be discharged or would this same ( 450 feet ) apply to a home or building of an adjacent property ?
> 
> Another way said... Property owner 1 or his guest stands at the property line, and discharges a weapon lessor of 450 feet from a next door neighbors home.. Who's safety zone is in question.
> 
> [SIZE=+1]*Safety Zones Around Buildings*[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Safety zones are all areas within 150 yards (450 feet) of an occupied building, house, cabin, or any barn or other building used in a farm operation. No person, including archery and crossbow hunters, may hunt or discharge a firearm, crossbow or bow in a safety zone, or shoot at any wild animal or wild bird within a safety zone, without the written permission of the owner or occupant of such safety zone. The safety zone applies to hunting only. It does not apply to indoor or outdoor shooting ranges, target shooting, law enforcement activities or the discharge of firearms, crossbows or bows for any non-hunting purpose.[/SIZE]



The safety zone applies to any dwellings within 450 feet that a weapon is shot for hunting purposes regardless of who owns the property that the weapon is shot. Weapon means firearm or bow. The sfaety zone also only applies to hunting and not target practice. Other laws may be applicable to target practice such as careless use. Permission from the owner of a dwelling to hunt within that safety zone is needed to be able to violate the safety zone to hunt.

Basically if you are hunting on your property and are within 450 feet of your neighbors house who does not want you hunting within 450 feet of their house you would be in violation of the safety zone law which is a misdemeanor.


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## tacocrick

Boehr, I need some further clarification on something you had said. 

What makes the law not apply for target practice within this 450 feet, and yet for hunting different ? I am guessing target practice may be exempt because of a backstop or bullet trap making this difference.

Thanks



boehr said:


> The safety zone applies to any dwellings within 450 feet that a weapon is shot for hunting purposes regardless of who owns the property that the weapon is shot. Weapon means firearm or bow. The sfaety zone also only applies to hunting and not target practice. Other laws may be applicable to target practice such as careless use. Permission from the owner of a dwelling to hunt within that safety zone is needed to be able to violate the safety zone to hunt.
> 
> Basically if you are hunting on your property and are within 450 feet of your neighbors house who does not want you hunting within 450 feet of their house you would be in violation of the safety zone law which is a misdemeanor.


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## boehr

tacocrick said:


> Boehr, I need some further clarification on something you had said.
> 
> What makes the law not apply for target practice within this 450 feet, and yet for hunting different ? I am guessing target practice may be exempt because of a backstop or bullet trap making this difference.
> 
> Thanks


Bullet trap has nothing to do with it. The safety zone is a hunting regulation in the hunting laws where target shooting has nothing to do with hunting.

Here is an Attorney General Opinion for you.
http://www.ag.state.mi.us/opinion/datafiles/1980s/op05960.htm


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## Crow Buster

tacocrick said:


> ...[SIZE=-1]The safety zone applies to hunting only...[/SIZE]


 
What about dispatching an animal in the course of trapping? Hunting and trapping regs are listed separately, but would the 450' rule apply?


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## JWICKLUND

The safety zone applies to hunting only, trapping does not apply. You can not discharge a firearm within the safety zone so you can set a trap within the safety zone, but you cannot discharge a firearm to kill the animal.


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## averageguy

I have a related question. Is there a rule for distance away from a house you can shoot toward it? Does the 450FT apply? Someone just set up a house blind in the field behind me. It is facing an open field that would have them shooting directly toward my house and my neighbors across an empty field. It was to dark to try my range finder to get an exact distance. I would NOT feel comfortable shooting in this situation, and I definitely don't feel ok about someone shooting at my house.


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## Michigander1

averageguy said:


> I have a related question. Is there a rule for distance away from a house you can shoot toward it? Does the 450FT apply? Someone just set up a house blind in the field behind me. It is facing an open field that would have them shooting directly toward my house and my neighbors across an empty field. It was to dark to try my range finder to get an exact distance. I would NOT feel comfortable shooting in this situation, and I definitely don't feel ok about someone shooting at my house.


 Frick the rules.Go talk to the guy.Explain what you are wondering.Sometimes folks dont think.Be a good neighbor ,Mich


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## outdoor_m_i_k_e

hopefully this is just a window for the guy to see whats coming. . . id hope that someone wouldnt actually shoot towards houses, but i guess some just dont know better. I would go talk to them anyways. . .


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## boehr

averageguy said:


> I have a related question. Is there a rule for distance away from a house you can shoot toward it? Does the 450FT apply? Someone just set up a house blind in the field behind me. It is facing an open field that would have them shooting directly toward my house and my neighbors across an empty field. It was to dark to try my range finder to get an exact distance. I would NOT feel comfortable shooting in this situation, and I definitely don't feel ok about someone shooting at my house.


The only distance by law for hunting safety is the 450 foot safety zone. Of course common sense come into play but we don't want to express and opinion. If someone hit your house regardless if they shot outside the 450 feet or inside with permission is where careless and reckless use of a firearm comes into play.


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## Crow Buster

JWICKLUND said:


> The safety zone applies to hunting only, trapping does not apply. You can not discharge a firearm within the safety zone so you can set a trap within the safety zone, but you cannot discharge a firearm to kill the animal.


Thank you for the reply, one more question along that line of thought: Could one use an air rifle (pellet gun) within the 450' for a dispatch?


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## dead short

Crow Buster said:


> Thank you for the reply, one more question along that line of thought: Could one use an air rifle (pellet gun) within the 450' for a dispatch?


By law a pellet gun (rifled barrel) is considered a firearm.


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## snaggs

Occupied or non-occupied. Does the law apply to non-occupied?


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## LumberJ

So here's my scenario:
The back of my buddy's property is about 100 yards from his house (75 from the garage/barn(not used for farming though)). There are two neighboring houses each barely within the safety zone. One is foreclosed (not occupied) and the other the neighbor said they didn't care if we hunted. So long as we get that statement in writing we'll be ok?
If that's the case we've been missing some prime-time goose hunting!


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## malainse

The distance from your friends home/barn is not an issue. He can hunt right next to it if he wishes. As you said would need something in writing from occupied neighbor. Then should be OK.


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## codybear

Can someone define "occupied dwelling"?
If its a vacation home is it only considered occupied when they are there? 

CB


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## malainse

Occupied means that a person may be there. Not that a person is there.

So yes, the 450 rule would apply to the vacation home.


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## Bill Collector Bob

malainse said:


> Occupied means that a person may be there. Not that a person is there.
> 
> So yes, the 450 rule would apply to the vacation home.


Hmm... I respectfully disagree. Anyone have anything to prove me wrong?

I'm under the impression that occupied means occupied...


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## malainse

This answer spells it out better....




boehr said:


> Can not hunt without permission. There would be no reasonable way to determine if someone was in the barn without trespassing to find out. It is the same as a house in the safety zone would be. The word "occupied" in the law doesn't pertain to the place being occupied at the time, it pertains to that the place is fit to be occupied. Anotherwords, if a old house, falling down, was there it wouldn't be covered in the safety zone.


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## jogodlew

The 450' rule is in place for the safety of the people. Why would you even want to question it or try to find a loophole to get around it? IMO 450' is not enough and I think some of the comments in this post confirm that.:yikes::yikes:


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## JWICKLUND

Safety zones are all areas within 150 yards (450 feet) of an occupied building, house, cabin, or any barn or other building used in a farm operation. 

No person, including archery and crossbow hunters, may hunt or discharge a firearm, crossbow or bow in a safety zone, or shoot at any wild animal or wild bird within a safety zone, without the written permission of the owner or occupant of such safety zone. The safety zone applies to hunting only. It does not apply to indoor or outdoor shooting ranges, target shooting, law enforcement activities or the discharge of firearms, crossbows or bows for any non-hunting purpose


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