Queen Anne's County, MD Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

The prohibition is § 22-19 M(1) of the Queen Anne's County Code, listed under the heading Indecent conduct in the general conduct and personal behavior section of the County parks article. It says urinating or defecating on park property other than in the places officially provided is prohibited. The standard is the Department of Parks and Recreation's own provision of restrooms and similar facilities: the rule is not a flat ban on relieving oneself in a park, it bans doing so anywhere except the officially provided places. The rule applies on County park property. This record does not cover streets or sidewalks in unincorporated Queen Anne's County or any property inside Centreville, Queenstown or the other incorporated towns, which have their own codes.

The offense is Class c, the middle tier of the five classes in § 22-25 C. Class c is the same tier as destroying park property, harassing wildlife, breach of the peace and a sexual or indecent act on park property, which is the second paragraph of the same subsection, § 22-19 M(2). Class c is a step above the Class d and e offenses for alcohol, drones, bicycling and tobacco, and a step below the Class b offenses for fireworks, weapons and dumping.

Enforcement follows § 22-24. Any County employee designated by resolution of the County Commissioners can enforce the article, and so can the Department of Natural Resources, the Queen Anne's County Sheriff, the Maryland State Police and other agencies the County Commissioners designate. Every legal order of a park official must be obeyed under § 22-19 L, and interfering with a designee in the performance of duties is a separate violation under § 22-24 B.