North Four Corners park photo by Mike Diegel.
Montgomery Parks has updated rules and regulations for the use of county parks that will go into effect July 1.
This is the first comprehensive update of the rules since March 2001. Some of the major changes include:
- Except where otherwise prohibited, fishing is allowed in all park locations, as long as the angler has a state fishing license
- Hours for bicycling on paved trails is now allowed from 5 a.m. to midnight
- Bicyclists may now use all official paved and natural trails unless otherwise prohibited
- Smoking and vaping is prohibited in parks
- Unless authorized by permit or in designated areas, using drones in parks is prohibited
- Groups of more than 35 people for sports or other activities must have a permit.
“Some of the updates will improve access to parks and park amenities,” said Casey Anderson, chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board, in a press release. “From biking to fishing to enabling greater flexibility in our rules, we are constantly striving to provide safer and more inclusive parks.”
Montgomery Parks is a department of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and manages more than 36,000 acres in 418 parks.