Ocean City Boardwalk Rules: Bikes, Pets, Smoking & Alcohol

The rules for the Ocean City boardwalk shift with the calendar, and most of the ones that catch visitors off guard are in force from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Bikes come off at noon in summer. Dogs aren’t allowed at all in peak season. Smoking, drinking in public, and fireworks are prohibited year-round. The details below cover what’s allowed, when, and what a violation can cost you.

Bikes, E-Bikes, Skateboards, and Skates

From the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, bicycles and Class 1 electric bikes are allowed on the boardwalk only between 2:00 a.m. and noon. After noon, they have to come off. Outside that summer window, you can ride any time of day.¹

Class 2 and Class 3 electric bicycles, which use a throttle or hit higher speeds, are banned from the boardwalk year-round. So are mopeds, electric scooters, and other motorized vehicles. Private vehicles are not allowed on the beach at any time.¹

Skateboards follow a similar summer schedule: allowed on the boardwalk between 2:00 a.m. and noon from the Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day, then any time outside that window, except during Sunfest and Springfest weekends. Between April 1 and October 1, skateboarding is prohibited on all other Ocean City public streets, sidewalks, and parking lots. The Ocean Bowl Skate Park is the one exception.²

Roller skates and rollerblades run on their own hours. On weekdays from April 1 through Memorial Day and again from Labor Day through September 30, skating is permitted from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Weekend and holiday hours are shorter, generally sunrise to noon or 10:00 a.m. depending on the date range. From October through March, skates are allowed anytime.¹

Dogs and Other Pets

Dogs are allowed on the beach and boardwalk only between October 1 and April 30. That means from May 1 through September 30, the entire peak season, your dog cannot join you on the sand or the boards.¹

During the months when pets are welcome, dogs must be leashed at all times anywhere in Ocean City, and owners have to immediately clean up any waste on public or private property.³

Service animals are treated differently. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service dogs must be allowed to accompany people with disabilities in all areas open to the public, year-round, including during the summer ban.⁴

Smoking and Vaping

The entire boardwalk and all beach accessways are smoke-free. The ban covers cigarettes, cigars, pipes, e-cigarettes, vaping devices, and anything else containing tobacco.⁵

Designated smoking areas are located on the beach itself, and you have to stay within 15 feet of the waste receptacle in each one. Ocean City parks and covered bus stop shelters are also smoke-free. The town relies on voluntary compliance but can issue citations for violations.⁵

Alcohol and Open Containers

Drinking alcohol in public is prohibited throughout Ocean City, and that includes the boardwalk and the beach. Possessing an open container of any alcoholic beverage in any public area is not allowed.¹

The container doesn’t matter. Pouring beer into a plastic tumbler doesn’t make it legal. Penalties can reach a $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail, though first-time offenders rarely see the maximum. Open container is one of the most commonly written citations on busy summer weekends, and officers don’t hand out many warnings.

Noise

Ocean City prohibits loud, unnecessary, or unusual noise that disturbs others at any hour. Enforcement tightens between midnight and 7:00 a.m., when no noise should be audible 50 feet from the building or structure where it originates. Vehicles blasting music fall under the same rule and can be cited if the sound carries more than 50 feet at any hour.¹

Fireworks

All consumer fireworks are prohibited within the Town of Ocean City. This surprises visitors because Maryland’s statewide fireworks laws are more permissive. Even small handheld sparklers, legal elsewhere in the state, are expressly banned within town limits.⁶

Possessing aerial fireworks with intent to discharge them without a permit is a misdemeanor punishable by fines up to $1,000, and the fireworks will be seized. The town runs professional displays on scheduled dates through the summer.⁶

Tents and Canopies on the Beach

Tents, meaning any structure with sides, are no longer permitted on Ocean City beaches. Canopies are still allowed but must follow specific rules:⁷

No larger than 10 feet by 10 feet
Open on all four sides
At least 3 feet of space between your canopy and the next
Anchoring must stay within the canopy’s footprint
Placed behind the lifeguard stand, and not left unattended before 10:00 a.m.

Baby tents are the exception, allowed as long as they’re no larger than 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet.⁷

Drones

From May 1 through September 30, operating a drone over the beach, the boardwalk, or any large gathering of people requires prior written approval from the Town of Ocean City. During the off-season, restrictions loosen, but standard FAA rules still apply. Given how densely packed the boardwalk gets in summer, casual visitors are unlikely to get that approval.

Sleeping on the Beach

Sleeping on the beach is prohibited between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. The rule is actively enforced, particularly in summer when Ocean City Police patrol the beach and boardwalk overnight.⁸

Surfing Zones

Surfing is only allowed at designated surf beaches, and the locations rotate daily. From May through September, two rotating beaches operate during guarded hours (10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.): one in the north half of town between 146th and 67th Streets, and one in the south half between 66th Street and Caroline Street. A permanent surf beach at the Inlet is open on weekdays, excluding holidays.⁹

Surfers have to stay within the areas marked by yellow stands, wear a leash at all times, and keep one person per board. No other water activities are allowed in a designated surfing area. During inclement weather, the Beach Patrol Captain can modify restrictions and open additional stretches for surfing, provided surfers stay at least 50 yards from non-surfers.⁹

Street Performing and Vending

Permits are not required to perform or vend on the boardwalk, but performers and vendors have to follow rules that control where, when, and how they operate.¹⁰

Performances and vending are prohibited between 1:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Three street ends are off-limits from May 1 through October 15: North Division Street, Dorchester Street, and 3rd Street. All other boardwalk street ends are open.¹⁰

Performers cannot set up within 10 feet of any adjacent property entrance and cannot block pedestrian traffic, beach ramps, emergency access, or restroom entrances. No props or equipment can exceed 6 feet above the ground, and nothing can be affixed to the boardwalk surface. Fire, knives, swords, nudity, and animals (except ADA service dogs) are prohibited during performances. Every performer has to keep the area clean and comply with the noise ordinance at all times.¹⁰

1
Town of Ocean City, MD. Ocean City Town Ordinance
2
Ocean City, Maryland. Ocean Bowl Skate Park
3
Ocean City, Maryland. Pet Friendly – Ocean City, Maryland
4
ADA.gov. ADA Requirements: Service Animals
5
Town of Ocean City, MD. Smoking Policy on the Beach and Boardwalk
6
Town of Ocean City, MD. Bonfire and Fireworks Schedule
7
Town of Ocean City, MD. Ocean City, MD Implements New Beach Canopy Regulations
8
Ocean City, Maryland. Ordinances – Ocean City, MD
9
Town of Ocean City, MD. Surf Beaches – Town of Ocean City, MD
10
Town of Ocean City, MD. Ocean City Boardwalk Performing and Vending Information