Understanding the Unruly Social Gatherings Ordinance

For many years, the Mayor and Council, City staff, Police, the County, student groups, and landlords have tried to prevent—with limited success—disruptive noise and other negative impacts caused by large social gatherings in our neighborhoods. The Mayor and Council recently amended the City Code to better address specific problem behaviors that may occur at unruly social gatherings.

The purpose of the Unruly Social Gatherings Ordinance (in Chapter 141, Nuisances) is to improve the quality of life and safety for residents; it does not prohibit gatherings. The Ordinance makes it a Municipal Infraction (civil citation) when one or more of the following conditions exist at a gathering of eight or more people:

underage or excessive drinking, public drunkenness, illegal substance use or health and safety violations
attendees spill over onto the street or a neighbor’s property
the noise level is above Noise Code limits
attendees are vandalizing, urinating, defecating, or littering
fights or other disturbances of the peace
the gathering creates an excessive amount of traffic that is significantly above and beyond the normal amount of pedestrian or vehicle traffic
other conduct which constitutes a threat to the public safety, quiet enjoyment of residential or other private property, or the general welfare.

A violation of the Unruly Social Gatherings Ordinance is subject to an immediate municipal infraction and $500 fine of the responsible party, with a warning given on first offense to property owners (if a rental property). Subsequent violations of the ordinance within 24 months of the prior violation will result in a $1,000 fine of the responsible party and a $500 fine of the property owner. The occupancy permit for the property may also be revoked for three or more violations within a 24-month period.

The Council also amended the City’s Noise Code to extend the lower nighttime noise limit of 55 decibels from 7:00 a.m. (previously) to 8:00 a.m. on weekends and holidays. Additionally, a list of specifically exempted sources of noise has been added to the Code.

Changes to the Noise and Nuisance Codes went into effect on October 15, 2019. However, a grace period for issuing municipal infractions and fines for Nuisance Code violations is in effect until January 1, 2020. Violations and complaints of potential Nuisance Code violations will be documented by a notice sent to residents and property owners. Violations of the Noise Code will continue to be addressed per the current practice, which includes the issuance of municipal infractions and fines for documented violations. When appropriate, referrals to the University of Maryland Office of Student Conduct will be made.

To read the complete City Noise and Nuisance Codes (Chapters 110, 138, and 141 of the City Code), you may access the City Code online at https://ecode360.com/CO0032.

Please contact the Department of Public Services at 240-487-3570 or publicservices@collegeparkmd.gov if you have any questions about these or other City codes.

FAQs

Can I still host a party at my house? Yes. The Ordinance does not prevent parties in City neighborhoods. If you wish to host a gathering, make sure that your guests stay on your property, that underage and excessive drinking or the use of illegal substances is not occurring, that public or private property isn’t being trespassed or vandalized, and that the party doesn’t also violate the Noise Code. By doing so, your party can continue without issue.

If I’m hanging out with eight or more friends, is that considered an unruly social gathering? No. You can hang out with friends and as long as you are abiding the law and not negatively impacting your neighbors, then you are in the clear.

What is the purpose of the Ordinance?

The purpose and intent of the Unruly Social Gathering Ordinance is to improve the quality of life and sense of safety for our residents. If a party spills out into the street or into another neighbor’s property, that creates a safety concern and a negative impact on the neighborhood. Or, if there is a gathering of inebriated individuals trespassing on neighbors’ yards or vandalizing their homes, that creates a health, safety and security concern for the neighborhood. No one wants to live in a neighborhood where they feel unsafe, are consistently awakened at night, or have their property transgressed. These situations do not characterize most of our neighborhoods and residents, but unfortunately some issues persist. The Unruly Social Gathering Ordinance is intended to help prevent these kinds of situations.

In what circumstances would I get a violation? Violations would be issued if…

the party has become unsafe with underage or excessive drinking, illegal substance use or health and safety violations,
the party spills over onto the street or a neighbor’s property, or negatively impacts the neighborhood,
party attendees are vandalizing, urinating, defecating or negatively impacting another’s home or property,
or the noise level is above Noise Code limits (7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.: 65 dBA; 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.: 55 dBA).

What do the violations entail? A violation of the Ordinance is subject to a municipal infraction and fine, with a warning given on first offense to property owners.

Responsible Party* Owner First Offense $500 Warning Second Offense $1000 $500 Third Offense $1000 $500

*Responsible Party is defined as the same tenant(s). If a new tenant(s) receives a citation, the offenses start over with $500 for the first offense.