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Jul 07, 2023

Ocean City looks to throw some shade on canopies

It’s not easy running a beach town. Each summer, Ocean City explodes from a relatively quiet town of about 7,000 year-round residents to more than 300,000 people on busy July and August weekends.

It’s not easy running a beach town.

Each summer, Ocean City explodes from a relatively quiet town of about 7,000 year-round residents to more than 300,000 people on busy July and August weekends. Hundreds of seasonal police officers, lifeguards and boardwalk shuttle drivers, along with thousands of temporary tourism industry workers manning the motels, shops, bars and eateries, are hired to handle the daunting task of managing an anticipated collective total of 8 million visitors each year.

And nowhere does this delicate balance of pleasing guests at Maryland’s beach resort while keeping the peace play out more directly than on the star attraction — the 10 miles of Atlantic Ocean beach from the Ocean City inlet to the Delaware state line. There are rules governing everything from metal detectors (allowed) to bonfires (permit required) to pets (not allowed on the beach and boardwalk from May 1 to Sept. 30).

Now, as the busy summer season heads toward its close, there is talk of some new rules on the sand. The culprit? The canopy. The plan? Follow the lead of some nearby resorts and restrict — or even outright ban — the four-legged collapsible tents.

Reaction to this possibility is likely to prove as mixed as the hodgepodge of people who flock to Ocean City. The pop-up tents, which often come in wheeled carrying bags and cost as little as $50, expand to 10-by-10 feet or larger. They create a lot more shade than any beach umbrella. And with growing concern over limiting sun exposure and the risk of skin cancer, not to mention the appeal of cooling spaces during this year’s record-setting heat wave, that’s a pretty attractive prospect.

But there’s also another benefit. These large structures are ideal for those looking to stake out their personal territory which, especially in summer weekends, can be a highly competitive business. Beach towels and blankets are one thing. But consider the less-easily-dislodged canopy. Nothing says, “Stay off my space,” quite like a metal frame with a polyester roof and legs that can be firmly staked into the sand. And therein lies the problem. One person’s private space is another person’s lack of space.

Ocean City Manager Terry McGean says he’s heard enough complaints to justify imposing some restrictions on tents and canopies. They are currently allowed behind the lifeguard chairs to keep the lifeguards’ views of the ocean unobstructed. Next year, the restrictions may be expanded so that there’s enough space for everyone. “Whatever we do will need to be enforceable,” the city manager tells The Baltimore Sun. “Our beach patrol has enough to do as it is without becoming the tent police.”

Nearby Bethany Beach, Delaware, bans canopies entirely. Umbrellas and modest “baby tents” suitable for infants and no more than 3 feet tall are standard practice there. Dewey Beach follows Ocean City’s current practice of keeping them behind the lifeguards. Rehoboth Beach says “no” to all canopies (and even to “Sport-Brellas,” those open-ended tents that look like a leaning umbrellas. In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the rules governing tents, umbrellas and canopies have become so long and complicated (and vary by specific beach), they take up an entire page of the myrtlebeach.com website. Ocean City, New Jersey has taken a somewhat more relaxed approach allowing 10-by-10 canopies but asking visitors to voluntarily not block access of emergency vehicles and stay back on the dunes on crowded days.

After much careful consideration from our comfortable perch not too far from the shores of the Patapsco River, we are inclined to leave this matter entirely in the hands of Ocean City’s mayor and council. Some issues are simply too hot to handle. But we’re willing to explore matters more closely should our request for travel expenses be approved by the publisher. After all, even a crowded day on the beach sure beats a day in front of a computer terminal.

Baltimore Sun editorial writers offer opinions and analysis on news and issues relevant to readers. They operate separately from the newsroom.