Ocean City is considering a ban on beach tents and restrictions on canopies over complaints from beachgoers.

City Manager Terry McGean said the number of tents on the beach during peak times has substantially increased over the past few years — along with the number of complaints.

Some visitors and residents are also upset about the people setting up large “front row” areas early morning and leaving tents unattended for hours.

“(The increased number of complaints) are primarily related to having views blocked by tents and folks coming out very early in the morning and setting up tents or canopies to claim a space on a crowded beach, then allowing these structures to sit vacant for a good part of the day,” McGean wrote in an email to The Baltimore Sun.

“There are also issues with extended rope anchoring systems that further restrict where folks sit on the beach and lots of folks trip over.”

The tents can also obscure the view of lifeguards, which can be a safety hazard, opponents argue.

The mayor and city council directed staff to prepare an ordinance that would:

Ban tents except 3-by-3-by-3-foot-maximum “baby” tents on the beach at all times. Tents are defined as having side walls.

Prohibit canopies from being set up and left unattended before lifeguards go on duty at 10 a.m. Beachgoers could set up canopies before that time, but they would have to be occupied.

Require all canopy-anchoring systems to be under the canopy roof. There would be no restrictions on the sizes of canopies.

The next step will be for the council to consider the ordinance and take public comment on first reading, which will occur Monday night.

McGean reported that about 750 tents abandoned on the beach were collected by maintenance crews last year.

However, some visitors consider a ban to be excessive.

“While at times the big tents can be annoying, the beach is big enough that the problem does not warrant a ban in my opinion,” said Phoenix resident Nicole Ripken, whose family owns a condominium at The Atlantis on Coastal Highway.

Issues affecting tourism have created tension in the city as summer approaches. A petition opposing limits on short-term rentals in certain parts of town gained over 1,300 signatures.

Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich.