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Look, don't take: how Lake Erie shipwrecks are protected

Look, don't take. Shipwrecks and everything on them are protected by law; removing or disturbing anything can be a crime.

Lake Erie's wrecks are archaeological sites and, in most cases, public property. Five governments share the lake, and each protects its wrecks. Here is what the law says in each place, with the citation. This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

United States (federal)

United States: under the Abandoned Shipwreck Act (43 U.S.C. § 2105) the U.S. claims title to abandoned shipwrecks embedded in a state's submerged lands, or resting on them and eligible for the National Register, and transfers that title to the state.

Section 2105 asserts United States title to any abandoned shipwreck that is embedded in a State's submerged lands, embedded in protected coralline formations, or on a State's submerged lands and included in or determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and transfers that title to the State in or on whose submerged lands the wreck lies. The public is to be given adequate notice of the location of any shipwreck to which title is asserted.

Citation: Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987, 43 U.S.C. §§ 2101–2106 (title: § 2105)

Law as of 2026-10.

Ohio

Ohio: R.C. 1506.32 requires a permit from the Director of Natural Resources, approved by the Ohio History Connection, to recover, alter, salvage or destroy abandoned property on, in or near a submerged watercraft or aircraft in Lake Erie.

A permit names one submerged watercraft or aircraft and expires one year after issue. The application must describe the property, its location and depth, the method of the operation and the proposed disposition of anything recovered. A narrow exception in division (B) covers abandoned property outside a Lake Erie submerged lands preserve that is not associated with a wreck and can be recovered by hand.

Citation: Ohio Revised Code § 1506.32 (effective September 29, 2015)

Law as of 2026-10.

Michigan

Michigan: MCL 324.76107 forbids recovering, altering or destroying abandoned property on Great Lakes bottomlands without a joint state permit; penalties run from a misdemeanor to a felony punishable by up to 10 years.

Property recovered without a required permit becomes state property. Penalties scale with the value involved, from a misdemeanor (up to 93 days or a fine) for property under $200 to a felony of up to 10 years for property worth $20,000 or more. Removing or defacing human remains on the bottomlands is a separate felony of up to 10 years.

Citation: Michigan Compiled Laws § 324.76107 (Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, Part 761)

Law as of 2026-10.

New York

New York: Education Law § 233 makes it a class A misdemeanor to investigate, excavate, remove, injure or destroy objects of historical or archaeological interest on, in or under state-owned lands without the written permission of the Commissioner of Education.

The attorney general may seek civil or criminal penalties, including seizure and forfeiture of objects and of the equipment used. Discoveries on state lands are to be reported to the Commissioner by the agency with jurisdiction.

Citation: New York Education Law § 233(4); plus state title under the Abandoned Shipwreck Act

Law as of 2026-10.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania: title to abandoned shipwrecks in Pennsylvania's part of Lake Erie passes to the Commonwealth under the federal Abandoned Shipwreck Act, and state permission is required to disturb them.

The Pennsylvania statute text could not be retrieved on 2026-10-04 (the legislature's site serves it through a script the build could not render), so this line states only the federal position and the need for state permission.

Citation: State title under the Abandoned Shipwreck Act; Pennsylvania History Code (37 Pa.C.S.), not yet read

We could not yet confirm the exact Pennsylvania statute text; this line states the federal position and the need for state permission.

Law as of 2026-10.

Ontario

Ontario: under the Ontario Heritage Act no one may alter a marine archaeological site or remove an artifact from it without a provincial licence; fines for breaking this rule can reach $1,000,000.

Section 48(1) requires a licence to alter a known marine or other archaeological site or to remove artifacts from it, and adds diving and operating bans within 500 metres of prescribed sites. O. Reg. 11/06 prescribes only two sites, the Hamilton and Scourge in Lake Ontario and the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior; no Lake Erie wreck is prescribed (e-Laws currency date September 30, 2026). Section 69(3) sets a maximum fine of $1,000,000 for contravening section 48(1). The Atlantic (1852) was ruled Ontario's property in a 1991 court case and is electronically monitored.

Citation: Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.18, s. 48 and s. 69; O. Reg. 11/06 (Marine Archaeological Sites)

Law as of 2026-10.

If you find something on a wreck, leave it where it is, note the location and report it to the state or provincial heritage agency. If you dive, read the diving page first.

Wreck diving in Lake Erie

Diving Lake Erie wrecks is dangerous: cold water, poor visibility, depth, entanglement and boat traffic. Nothing here is dive guidance or a dive position. Dive only with proper training, a qualified operator and current information from the groups that maintain moorings.