Ocean City officials say they will explore the creation of a crew to handle enforcement of the resort’s tent and canopy rules on the beach next summer.
Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald told members of the Ocean City Police Commission on Monday that the educational campaign regarding the new beach tent and canopy restrictions will conclude this season.
In preparation for next year, he said he was working with City Manager Terry McGean to develop job descriptions for a team of inspectors to handle code enforcement.
“We spoke to 8,000 people, educated them, and tagged over 1,500 structures,” he said. “We’re going to start looking at next summer and how we’re going to go to an enforcement phase.”
This spring, the Ocean City Council passed legislation to ban all beach tents, except for tents for babies. The ordinance also prohibits beachgoers from erecting beach canopies before 10 a.m. and then leaving those canopies unattended; prohibits beach canopies larger than 10-by-10 feet; requires a 3-foot separation around a canopy’s perimeter; and requires the anchoring for such canopies to be contained within the canopy’s footprint.