OCEAN CITY, Md. — Director Joseph Theobald of the Department of Emergency Management plans to hire nine dedicated beach enforcement staff for the upcoming season. The staff will be assigned in pairs across three beach zones to enforce city ordinances, with police officers available to support as needed.
The town’s efforts follow last year’s introduction of updated beach rules, which prohibited all tents except baby tents, restricted unattended canopies before 10 a.m., limited canopy size, and required proper spacing and anchoring.
During the previous season, the town focused on educating visitors about the new regulations, tagging tents that were left unattended early in the morning, and engaging with thousands of beachgoers to explain the guidelines.
Some beachgoers say stronger enforcement is a positive step.
"It's definitely worth it because you never know what people are doing," said Natalie Rivera.
Others say the canopy restrictions help ensure everyone has space on the sand.
"you get somebody out there with too big of a tent. Now you're holding up most of the beach, and nobody else has a fair share of their room," said Milton Carson.
According to the Ocean City Police Department, beach ordinance violations are classified as municipal infractions. Town officials recently increased the maximum municipal infraction fine from $1,000 to $5,000 after the state of Maryland granted municipalities more flexibility in enforcing local laws. While the maximum penalty has increased to $5,000, most municipal infraction fines can range from $25 and up, depending on the type of violation.
The new staffing plan is intended to provide proactive enforcement of these rules while reducing reliance on police resources.