Maryland Disorderly Conduct Laws

Code Sections

Maryland Criminal Law Code, Section 10-201: Disturbing the Public Peace and Disorderly Conduct

What Is Prohibited?

Maryland prohibits four types of disorderly conduct:

• Willfully obstruct the free passage of people into a public place (building, parking lot, street, elevator, hotel, amusement park, theater, school, etc) or on a public bus, airplane, train, or school bus
  • Note that preventing others from entering or exiting a medical facility by detaining the person or obstructing his or her passage is also illegal under a separate statute, this would cover, for example, abortion protesters at a women’s health clinic.
• Willfully acting in a manner that disturbs the peace of the public
• Willfully failing to obey a reasonable order form a police officer to prevent a disturbance of the peace
• Making an unreasonably loud noise to disturb the peace of another in a public place or mode of transportation or in his or her home or land
• Entering another person’s premises to disturb the peace of people there by making an unreasonably loud noise or acting in a disorderly manner
• In Worcester County, you can’t have a bonfire between 1 am and 5 am.

Penalties

Disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor that can be punished by up to 60 days in jail and fined up to $500.

In comparison, interfering with access to a medical facility can be punished by up to 90 days in jail and up to a $1,000 fine. Interestingly, interfering with a sporting event, is punishable by three months in jail (which presumably could be longer than 90 days), but a smaller fine of up to only $250. Finally, a person convicted of public intoxication could get up to 90 days in jail, but only up to a $100 fine.