Carroll County, MD Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 94.056, Chapter 94 Parks and Recreation
- Skateboarding/roller-skating
- Allowed only in Manager-designated areas
- General games
- Same designated-area rule applies
- Enacted
- Ord. 71, 11-10-1988; amended 2002
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
Summary
Carroll County confines skateboarding and roller-skating in county parks to areas the Department of Recreation and Parks specifically designates, under Code of Ordinances § 94.056. The same section applies the designated-area rule to any organized game or recreational activity, and breaking it is enforced as a Chapter 94 park offense.
No person in a park shall take part in the playing of any game or activity except in areas specifically set apart for those forms of recreation, or as authorized by the Manager. No person in a park shall roller-skate or skateboard except in areas specifically designated for those purposes.
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
056, titled Games, is a two-sentence rule inside Chapter 94's Recreational Activities division. The first sentence bars anyone in a county park from taking part in any game or activity except in areas specifically set apart for that form of recreation, or as the Manager separately authorizes. The second sentence singles out wheeled recreation by name: no person in a park shall roller-skate or skateboard except in areas specifically designated for those purposes. Read together, the section means a skateboarder cannot simply use any open pavement, parking lot, or picnic-area walkway; the Manager has to have marked or designated that specific space for skating or skateboarding first.
The rule dates to the original 1988 Parks Ordinance (2004 Code § 155-20, Ord. 71) and was updated by Ord. 02-08 in 2002. 056 rather than the road-confinement rule written for bicycles. Because Chapter 94 only governs county-owned park property in the unincorporated area, a business district sidewalk or a municipal park inside an incorporated town like Westminster is not reached by this section; those areas fall under municipal or Chapter 70 traffic rules instead.
Violations & Fines
Skateboarding or roller-skating outside a designated area is a misdemeanor under § 94.999(A), the same penalty that applies to every other Chapter 94 park offense: a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in the Carroll County Detention Center, or both. Park attendants and the Department of Recreation and Parks can order a rider to stop or leave the area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skateboard anywhere in a Carroll County park?
Does the skateboarding rule apply to a county park's paved bike roads?
What happens if I get caught skateboarding in a closed area?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carroll County
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