Rattlesnake Island, the 85-acre speck of land about two miles west of Put-in-Bay in Lake Erie, is owned by the Rattlesnake Island Club, a private members-only organization that bought the island for $4.6 million in 1998. The club holds the entire property as a single corporate entity, and only its roughly 65 members and their invited guests are allowed to set foot on it. The island is closed to the public year-round.
What Kind of Entity Owns the Island
The Rattlesnake Island Club is organized as an Ohio nonprofit corporation and classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(7) social and recreational club, a federal tax category reserved for organizations built around member recreation rather than profit. The IRS granted that status in June 2000.
Title to the island runs through the club itself, not through individual members. Ottawa County auditor records divide the island into roughly 15 parcels, and some members have built private homes on them, but the club holds legal authority over every acre, dock, building, and runway. That corporate ownership structure is what gives the organization the ability to control, absolutely, who arrives and what they do once they get there.
Who the Members Are
The club caps its roster in the range of 65 to 68 people, and a new spot only opens when an existing member leaves. Getting in requires recommendations from at least two current members. Initiation fees have been reported anywhere from $90,000 to $200,000, with monthly maintenance dues on top. Members who fall behind on dues or break the club’s bylaws can forfeit their share.
The small cap is deliberate. The club’s appeal rests on seclusion, and a larger membership would undercut that. The money keeps the island running and keeps the group small enough to function as a private retreat rather than a resort.
Because of the 501(c)(7) classification, no part of the club’s net earnings can benefit any individual member privately, and the organization has to reinvest its revenue into the island itself.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 501
Who Owned Rattlesnake Island Before the Club
The most notable owner before the club era was William “Bill” de Arment, president of Channellock, the hand-tool company based in Meadville, Pennsylvania. De Arment bought the island in the 1950s and built the main lodge and several of the private residences that still stand. He ran it as a personal retreat and kept outsiders away for decades.
After his death the island passed through a series of high-value private sales, each new owner holding the line on isolation. When the group of investors behind the current club acquired it in 1998, they formalized what had already been the island’s practice for close to half a century.
Can the Public Visit?
No. There is no ferry, no public dock, and no commercial access of any kind. Members and their guests arrive by private boat or by small aircraft landing on one of the island’s two grass runways, which the FAA lists under identifier 58OH as private-use. The main east-west strip runs 1,500 feet and the north-south strip runs about 988 feet, and pilots need prior permission from the club before touching down.
Boaters sometimes ask whether they can at least approach the shoreline. Ohio holds Lake Erie’s lakebed and waters in public trust, and Ohio courts have held that private landowners along Lake Erie own property only to the natural shoreline, not into the water itself.2National Sea Grant Law Center. Ohio H.B. 218 – An Update You can navigate past Rattlesnake Island or float in the water nearby. The moment you tie up to a dock, drop anchor against private infrastructure, or step onto land, you have crossed into private property.
What Happens If Someone Trespasses
Under Ohio’s criminal trespass statute, entering or remaining on another person’s property without permission is a fourth-degree misdemeanor. That covers walking onto a dock, landing on the airstrip without authorization, or refusing to leave after being told to go.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2911.21 – Criminal Trespass The club enforces its boundaries and can have unauthorized visitors removed.
Where the Island Fits in Local Government
Private ownership does not take Rattlesnake Island off the map. It sits inside Put-in-Bay Township in Ottawa County, and the club pays property taxes like any other landowner, with assessments based on the improved value of the parcels. The club also has to comply with local zoning, keep its corporate registration current with the state, and file annual returns with the IRS. The island is private, but it is not a jurisdiction of its own.