Municipalities - Limiting Access to Beaches - Prohibition

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Municipalities - Limiting Access to Beaches - Prohibition

Prohibiting a municipality from limiting access to the area of a beach that is above the mean high tide, affected by the regular rise and fall of the tide, to residents of the municipality; and applying the Act only to a beach in the State that is owned by a municipality.

What This Bill Does

• Prohibiting a municipality from limiting access to the area of a beach that is above the mean high tide, affected by the regular rise and fall of the tide, to residents of the municipality; and applying the Act only to a beach in the State that is owned by a municipality.

Limits and Unknowns

• This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Official Summary Text

Prohibiting a municipality from limiting access to the area of a beach that is above the mean high tide, affected by the regular rise and fall of the tide, to residents of the municipality; and applying the Act only to a beach in the State that is owned by a municipality.

Current Bill Text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0383*

HOUSE BILL 383
L3 6lr2342

By: Delegates J. Long, Alston, and Korman
Introduced and read first time: January 21, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Municipalities – Limiting Access to Beaches – Prohibition 2

FOR the purpose of prohibiting a municipality from limiting access to a certain area of a 3
beach to residents of the municipality; and generally relating to restricting access to 4
municipal beaches. 5

BY adding to 6
Article – Local Government 7
Section 4–112 8
Annotated Code of Maryland 9
(2013 Volume and 2025 Supplement) 10

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 12

Article – Local Government 13

4–112. 14

(A) THIS SECTION APPLIES ONLY TO A BEACH IN THE STATE THAT IS OWNED 15
BY A MUNICIPALITY. 16

(B) A MUNICIPALITY MAY NOT LIMIT ACCESS TO THE AREA OF A BEACH 17
THAT IS ABOVE THE MEAN HIGH TIDE, AFFECTED BY THE REGULAR RISE AND FALL 18
OF THE TIDE, SOLELY TO RESIDENTS OF THE MUNICIPALITY. 19

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 20
October 1, 2026. 21