Penalties for illegal, unlicensed commercial house parties open to the general public were strengthened in a bill passed unanimously by Maryland’s Montgomery County Council on Tuesday.
Councilmember Dawn Luedtke, a Democrat, said in a release that if Bill 13-25 is signed into law, it would increase the penalty for such parties from $25 to $5,000 and would impose up to $15,000 in additional fines for noise and zoning violations.
The bill also establishes “unlicensed or unpermitted commercial picnics, dances, soirees, parties and other entertainment” as Class A civil violations, according to the bill’s economic impact statement. Under county law, Class A violations are punishable by a fine of up to $500.
Nonprofit and community events held at houses or elsewhere are exempt from the new bill’s provisions, Ms. Luedtke said.
The council moved to pass the bill, she explained, due to the rise in the number of parties held in residential neighborhoods where the organizers sold tickets to the public to turn a profit.
“These parties have turned residential homes into promoted nightclubs. This legislation will help ensure the punishment for these dangerous and disruptive activities more closely matches the negative impacts,” Councilmember Andrew Friedson, a Democrat, said in the release.
Councilmembers also stressed that personal events held at houses that don’t pose sound or zoning issues aren’t affected by the bill.
“I want to remind folks this is targeting commercial parties. This is not targeting quinceaneras, sweet 16s, personal weddings. We’re not talking about that,” Councilmember Natalie Fani-Gonzalez, a Democrat, said at Tuesday morning’s council meeting.
If signed into law by Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Bill 13-25 would go into effect immediately.
