BERWYN HEIGHTS POLICE DEPARTMENT
SELECT LAWS AND

LOCAL ORDINANCES

Town of Berwyn Heights, Maryland Sec. 114 
Peace, Order and Nuisances

Section 1:  Throwing Objects - It  shall be unlawful for any person to throw any object for any purpose in the Town of Berwyn Heights that in any way is likely to do harm or injury to any person or property.

Section 2: Loud Noises - It shall be unlawful to cause unreasonable annoyance to others or disturb the peace or quiet of any neighborhood by causing loud noise.  The use of mobile sound trucks may be authorized by the Town Council where they determine that the material being disseminated is in the public interest and the hours of use will not unduly offend the citizens of the Town.

Section 3: Disorderly Conduct - It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in disorderly conduct by making loud noises, by fighting, by using vulgar language, by indecent exposure, or by drawing graffiti.

Section 4: Public Drinking - It shall be unlawful for any person to drink any alcoholic beverage on any street, park or other public property within the Town of Berwyn Heights, unless written consent is granted by the Town.

Section 5: Soliciting - It shall be unlawful to solicit in the Town of Berwyn Heights without first obtaining appropriate Town and County Licenses.

Section 6: Violation - Violation of any provision of this Ordinance shall be a municipal infraction.  The penalty for violation shall be $50.00 for each initial offense.

Adopted March 10, 1982
Revised August 12, 1992
Effective September 2, 1992.

Prince George's County Ordinance Sec. 19-126. 
Noise in a Residential Area.

(a) No person, who has been ordered by a police officer to cease using operating, or permitting to be played or operated any radio, television set, tape or disk recorder, phonograph, musical instrument, or any other machine, equipment, or tool which produces or reproduces any sound or noise which is audible more than fifty (50) feet from the source of the sound or noise, shall continue to use, operate, or permit to play or operate the device causing the sound or noise.

(b) This Section shall apply only to a sound or noise which is audible in a residential area between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. of the next day. Residential area is an area located within a residential zone listed in Section 27-109(a)(I) of this Code.

(c) This Section shall not apply:

(1) To any sound resulting from the emergency operation of a public service company as defined in Article 78, Section 2(0), Annotated Code of Maryland;
(2) To any sound resulting from the operations of an instrumentality of the Federal, State,
or County government, or of a municipality;
(3) To a sound resulting from the operation of farm equipment or aircraft.
(4) On private property for which a use and occupancy permit has been issued for
purposes of sporting, recreational, entertainment events, or for any other event to which the public
is invited; or
(5) To an event or activity which takes place on property owned by the United States, the
State, the County, the Board of Education, a bicounty agency, or a municipality.
(d) Any person who violates any provision of this Section shall, upon conviction, be guilty of
a misdemeanor and subject to a fine not exceeding $250 for a first offense, and $500 for each
subsequent offense or imprisonment not exceeding thirty (30) days. or both such fine and
imprisonment.
(CB-79-1986; CB-84-1987; CB-45-1998)

Maryland Criminal Code - Article 10-201
Disturbance of the Public Peace & Disorderly Conduct

(2) A person may not act in a disorderly manner that disturbs the public peace.

(3) A person may not willfully fail to obey a reasonable and lawful order that a law enforcement officer makes to prevent a disturbance of the public peace.

(4) A person who enters the land or premises of another, whether an owner or lessee, or beach adjacent to residental riparian property, may not willfully:
(i) disturb the peace of persons on the land, premises, or beach by making an unreasonably loud noise; or
(ii) act in a disorderly manner.

(5) A person from any location may not, by making an unreasonably loud noise, willfully disturb the peace of another:
(i) on the other's land or premises;
(ii) in a public place; or
(iii) on a public conveyance.

(d) Any person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 60 days or a fine not exceeding $500.00, or both.

Criminal Code Article 10-201

(* NOTE: Unlike the County Ordinance above, the State Law pertaining to Disturbance of the Public Peace has NO time of day limitations.  A person who Disturbs the Public Peace or acts in a Disorderly Manner at any time, is guilty of a crime and subject to arrest.)

Prince George's County Ordinance Sec. 14-140. 
DIVSION 6. WEAPONS.

Set;. 14-140. Loaded weapons prohibited; exceptions.

(a) No person shall discharge or have in his possession. while loaded, any firearm. rifle, shotgun. revolver. pistol, air gun, air rifle or any similar mechanism by whatever name know, which is designed to expel a projectile through a gun barrel by the action of any explosive, gas, compressed air, spring or elastic, within one thousand feet (1,000) of any home or residence, other than his own,
or any school or school grounds (private or public), church or church grounds, places of public assembly, public parks and playgrounds within the County, whether the weapon is loaded with blank or live cartridges or projectiles of any kind.

(b) This Section shall not prohibit the owner or tenant of any land from discharging such described weapons on his land for the purpose of the protection of his own property or the life of himself or his family, or killing predatory animals which prey upon, damage or destroy his property, livestock or crops.

This Section shaJl not apply to the discharging of such weapons where a permit has been issued by the Department of Environmental Resources.
(Gen. Res. No. 11-1963, Sec. I; CB-49-1984) 

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