Washington County, MD Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Code of Public Local Laws § 10-202(a), Loitering Unlawful, prohibits loitering at, on, or in a public place or place open to the public so as to interfere with, impede, or hinder the free passage of pedestrian or vehicular traffic; to interfere with, obstruct, harass, curse, threaten, or do physical harm to another member of the public; or to cause, by words, acts, or other conduct, a reasonable likelihood of a breach of the peace or disorderly conduct. Section 10-201 defines "loiter" broadly to include standing around, remaining, or parking a vehicle at a public place while engaging in prohibited conduct, or gathering as part of a group doing the same, and defines "place open to the public" to reach privately owned places of business, private parking lots, and private institutions such as places of worship, not just government property.

Section 10-202(b) adds a separate "move on" offense: a person may not loiter and then fail to obey a uniformed or properly identified plainclothes officer's direction to move on when disobeying endangers the public peace. Before anyone can be charged, § 10-204(c) requires the arresting officer to first warn the person of the violation, and the person must then fail or refuse to stop. Officers have discretion under § 10-204(b) to issue a Notice of Violation instead of an arrest, specifying the charge and a court date before the District Court sitting for Washington County.

Penalties under § 10-204(a) top out at a $100 fine, 10 days imprisonment, or both. Section 10-203 expressly protects orderly picketing and other lawful assembly from being swept into the loitering ban.