OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) is reminding local businesses it is illegal to distribute menus, fliers and other handouts to hotels and other private property after two employees of a downtown pizza restaurant were recently fined $1,000.
The OCPD recently concluded an investigation into the illegal distribution of restaurant menus at several hotels throughout the resort. During the course of the investigation, OCPD officers cited two employees of White House Pizza at 15th Street and fined them $1,000 each. That investigation is ongoing.
The OCPD is reminding business owners of a municipal ordinance restricting the distribution of advertisements and handbills in the town of Ocean City. The ordinance states “it shall be unlawful for person or persons to cast, throw, place or distribute any advertisements, circulars, handbills or wastepaper in the vestibules, doorways, porches or yards of private property or upon private vehicles from which they may be blown upon and into public streets, alleys or public places within the corporate limits of Ocean City.”
The penalty of violating the ordinance is a fine up to $1,000. Repeated violations could trigger a business license suspension hearing before town officials. The nuisance crime often causes excessive litter and leaves property unsightly. Any property owner that falls victim to the ordinance violation is urged to contact the OCPD at 410-723-6600.
