As Memorial Day approaches, Ocean City is moving forward with efforts to limit the number and size of tents on its beaches.

The Ocean City Town Council on Monday approved an ordinance on first reading to ban beach tents and put restrictions on canopies after complaints from beachgoers.

A first reading of an ordinance means the item is introduced to the council. The council will now refer the item to subcommittees and boards for review and recommendations.

The proposed ban arose from an increasing number of tents on the beach during peak times during the summer, according to city officials. Some visitors and residents are upset about people setting up large “front row” areas early in the morning and leaving tents unattended for hours.

Officials said there are also concerns that the tents could obscure the visibility of lifeguards, creating a safety issue.

As a result, the council gave initial approval to ban tents on the beach at all times. The proposed ban would allow an exception for 3-by-3-by-3-foot-maximum “baby” tents.

Canopies also would be prohibited 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.

All canopy-anchoring systems would need to be under the canopy roof, under the proposal, though the sizes of canopies would be unrestricted.

However, the council requested two amendments for second reading – canopies can be no larger than 10-by-10 feet and they must have at least 3-feet of separation on all sides to allow people to walk between them.

“The city has received (an) increasing number of complaints related to tents and canopies on the beach,” Ocean City manager Terry McGean wrote in an email to The Baltimore Sun. “There are also issues with extended rope anchoring systems that further restrict where folks can sit on the beach and lots of folks trip over.”

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

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