Anne Arundel County, MD Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Authority
- Director of Recreation and Parks
- Trigger
- Potential fire hazard, Director's judgment
- First-offense fine
- $50 (Class E civil offense)
- Applies to
- All county parks, unincorporated areas
Summary
Anne Arundel County's Parks Director can prohibit or limit smoking in county parks whenever a potential fire hazard exists, alongside the county's outdoor-fire rules.
Additional regulations relating to fire hazards. Smoking or the building of fires may be prohibited in parks or limited by the Director whenever in the Director's judgment a potential fire hazard exists.
(c) Liability for damages. A person who builds a fire in a park except in a fireplace or other facility constructed for a fire is responsible for damage and expense caused by carelessness. (1985 Code, Art. 19, § 2-105)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-93: County Code is current through May, 2026).
Full Breakdown
County Code § 14-2-105(b) lets the Director of Recreation and Parks prohibit or limit smoking in any county park whenever, in the Director's judgment, a potential fire hazard exists: the same authority that governs campfires, charcoal grills, and gas stoves in parks. There is no year-round blanket smoking ban written into the parks chapter; the restriction is Director-triggered, typically during dry conditions or posted fire-danger periods. It applies countywide in unincorporated Anne Arundel, including Glen Burnie and Severna Park parks, since there is no separate municipal park system there. Annapolis and Highland Beach parks fall under those cities' own codes.
Violations & Fines
Violating a Director-issued smoking restriction, or any other Article 14 park rule, is a Class E civil offense under § 14-3-101(c): $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second, and $500 for a third or later offense within the park system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is smoking banned in all Anne Arundel County parks?
Does this rule cover Glen Burnie or Severna Park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Anne Arundel County
Compare Anne Arundel County to another location·View the Maryland public conduct overview
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