Carroll County, MD Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 94.078
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
- Applies to
- County parks, unincorporated area only
- Enforced by
- Park Manager and attendants
- Repeat violators
- Banned under § 94.114
- Code origin
- 2004 Code § 155-29, Ord. 71 (1988)
Summary
Carroll County bans sleeping, prolonged lounging, and loud, boisterous, threatening, abusive, insulting, or indecent language in any county park under § 94.078. The rule also forbids disorderly conduct or behavior tending to breach the public peace, and it applies only inside county park property in the unincorporated area.
No person in a park shall sleep or protractedly lounge on seats, benches, or other areas, or engage in loud, boisterous, threatening, abusive, insulting, or indecent language, or engage in any disorderly conduct or behavior tending to breach the public peace.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-15: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through July 30, 2026).
Full Breakdown
078, part of the Parks and Recreation chapter (Chapter 94) enforced by county park Managers and attendants, prohibits four categories of conduct inside any county park: sleeping or protractedly lounging on seats, benches, or other park areas; loud, boisterous, threatening, abusive, insulting, or indecent language; any disorderly conduct; and behavior tending to breach the public peace. 003, limits PARK to areas in the unincorporated portions of the county owned or used by the county, so the loitering ban reaches county-owned parks outside incorporated towns such as Westminster or Sykesville, which enforce their own municipal park rules separately.
078 traces to the 2004 Code § 155-29 and Ord. 71, passed 11-10-1988, and has not since been amended. 078 also check for authorized use. 114, ordered by the Director of the Department of Recreation and Parks. 034 carries a lighter $25 fine instead.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 94.078 is a misdemeanor under § 94.999(A): a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in the Carroll County Detention Center, or both. Repeat offenders can be suspended or permanently banned from park premises by the Director of Recreation and Parks under § 94.114.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get in trouble for sleeping on a bench in a Carroll County park?
Does this loitering rule apply inside Westminster's town parks?
What happens if I keep violating the park conduct rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carroll County
Compare Carroll County to another location·View the Maryland public conduct overview
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