No Dogs, No Smoking On The Ocean City Boardwalk

Regardless of the time of year, the Ocean City Police Department is reminding people that dogs are prohibited from being on the boardwalk.

Sometimes during the off-season, some laws and regulations in shore towns are relaxed a little. One of those occasionally-bended laws is taking your dog for a walk on the Ocean City boardwalk. Even though my wife and I have seen countless people walking their furry pets every time we go for a stroll in America's greatest family resort (especially when the weather is nice), it's not allowed at any time of the year. In addition to numerous existing signs on the boardwalk that state, "no dogs," new portable signs are being deployed to remind nice-weather dog-walkers of the law.

Captain Steve Ang of the Ocean City Police Department recently told the Ocean City Gazette:

The whole purpose of our effort to advise people of the law is to keep dogs off; we don’t want to write tickets. This is an educational campaign, we are warning people. We are trying to get people to comply as best we can; repeat offenders will get a summons. Unfortunately, we have to write a ticket if they don’t abide by the rules. We’ve had a very strong push the past few years on this because it has become a problem.

Should your four-legged friend need a place to play in Ocean City, you might want to check out the Ocean City Dog Park of Cape May County at 45th Street and Haven Avenue. Yes, there is a fee to use the dog park, which ranges to $10 to $40, but that's cheaper and easier than getting a ticket up on the boardwalk.

In addition to the no dogs law, the Ocean City Police Department will also begin enforcing the city's ban on smoking on the boardwalk, too, except in those famous "penalty box" areas.