Maryland’s most popular beach town has officially put restrictions on the shade structures people use on the beach. It’s an issue that Ocean City has been grappling with for at least two summers. As Chesapeake Bay Magazine reported in 2023, the town has been considering a ban on canopies and beach tents because of complaints that people claim large sections of the public beach by setting them up early in the morning, and also that they block the view for other beachgoers. When the debate came to a head, longtime Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan said opinions were split about 50/50 for and against the use of beach tents:
In time for the 2025 peak beach season, the town has announced its new Beach Canopy Guidelines. It doesn’t ban tall, tailgate-style canopies, but does set size and space limits. It imposes an outright ban on camping-style tents, with the exception of small baby tents.
According to the new rules, beach canopies must be open on all four sides, be no larger than 10×10 feet, and be placed behind the lifeguard stand. Anchor poles must stay within the footprint of the canopy, and there must be at least 3 feet of space between your canopy and a neighbor’s. Baby tents must be 3x3x3 feet or smaller. This graphic from Ocean City Government shows the types of tents that are acceptable and unacceptable:
Reactions to the new rules have been strong on both sides. Some people make the point that umbrellas are actually more dangerous and likely to blow away and hurt someone on the beach.
Ocean City Beach Patrol explains why there’s a rule against setting up tents in front of the lifeguard stands, saying, “The lifeguards need to have a clear line of sight between each stand so they can see what the guard next to them is doing as well as a clear running path in case of a water rescue.”
Beach Patrol also warns, “No matter what type of beach accessories you bring to the beach, they are your responsibility, so make sure they are well secured in the sand, so they don’t blow away and injure someone. If you leave the beach, please collapse umbrellas and secure tents and canopies.”
The “three feet” rule for leaving space between your setup and your neighbor’s is to allow people from the rear of the beach to access the water.
Despite the reasoning behind some of the rules, some people criticize the new policies as not being family-friendly for young children to get out of the sun, elderly or sun-sensitive people to enjoy the beach, or mothers looking for privacy to nurse their babies.
Other people applaud the move, saying they’re tired of groups claiming large areas of the public beach and setting up “tent cities”.
Still others question how the town will enforce these rules, especially the ban on unattended canopies before 10 a.m. One beachgoer comments, “Who’s going to monitor this? And what will they do if they find one unattended? They start lining up the canopies by 6 a.m. and then go back to their rooms.”
Ocean City follows in the footsteps of Bethany, Rehoboth, and Dewey beaches, all of which have tent restrictions or bans on the beach.
