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Beach Reservations

OHCA IS CURRENTLY ACCEPTING RESERVATIONS FROM COMMUNITY RESIDENTS FOR BEACH FACILITIES SUCH AS THE GAZEBOS, BBQs, AND PICNIC TABLES.  PLEASE NOTE THAT THE BEACH ITSELF REMAINS OPEN TO ALL RESIDENTS AND THEIR ACCOMPANIED GUESTS FROM DAWN UNTIL MIDNIGHT 365 DAYS A YEAR.

OHCA DOES NOT ACCEPT BEACH RESERVATIONS FOR FEDERAL HOLIDAYS—SMALL PRIVATE PARTIES ARE OK BUT CANNOT INTERFERE WITH OTHER RESIDENTS ENJOYING THE BEACH AND FISHING PIER.  PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR GUESTS COMPLY WITH ALL HEALTH CODES AND OHCA’S PARKING/BEACH RULES.

THE MAXIMUM SIZE FOR PRIVATE BEACH EVENTS IS 50 PEOPLE.  NO DOGS OR PETS ARE ALLOWED ON THE BEACH AT ANY TIME, LEASHED OR UNLEASHED.

MOTORIZED CRAFT—INCLUDING JET SKIS—ARE NOT ALLOWED ON OHCA’S BEACH, NEAR THE NETTED SWIM AREA, OR INSIDE THE BREAKWATERS AT ANY TIME.  HAND-POWERED PADDLE BOARDS, CANOES, WIND SURFERS, AND KAYAKS ARE FINE WHILE THEIR OWNERS ARE ON THE BEACH OR SWIMMING.

FIREWORKS ARE PROHIBITED AT ALL TIMES.  MARYLAND STATE LAW BANS PRIVATE FIREWORK DISPLAYS AND THE IMPORTATION OF FIREWORKS FROM OTHER JURISDICTIONS, INCLUDING VIRGINIA AND WASHINGTON D.C.

PLEASE KEEP NOISE LEVELS REASONABLE AT ALL TIMES.  PARTIES AND MUSIC ON THE BEACH SHOULD STOP AT 10 PM TO COMPLY WITH THE COUNTY’S 2021 REVISED NOISE ORDINANCE.  (CLEAN-UP CREWS AND QUIET CONVERSATIONS CAN CONTINUE UNTIL THE BEACH CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT.)  THE COUNTY DEFINES EXCESSIVE NOISE AS ANYTHING PRODUCED BY AMPLIFIED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, TVS, STEREOS, RADIOS, OR DJS IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA THAT CAN BE HEARD MORE THAN 50 FEET AWAY.  PLEASE RESPECT YOUR NEIGHBORS WHO MAY RETIRE EARLY, SLEEP WITH THEIR WINDOWS OPEN, OR HAVE CHILDREN/THE ELDERLY AT HOME.

CHECK THE BEACH CALENDAR AND MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS ONLINE AT WWW.OYSTERHARBOR.ORG.  SEE YOU AT THE BEACH IN 2024!!

OHCA welcomes use of the community beach by local residents and hopes you have a good event.  Please remember that reservations apply only to facilities (gazebos, BBQs, and tables) not to the beach itself or the pier, which remain open to all OHCA residents between dawn and midnight.  Residents can book two small quiet parties each year (up to 50 people, not on Federal Holidays) and can check on existing reservations at OHCA’s website, www.oysterharbor.org.

Please ensure that your guests do not block mailboxes or park illegally on community streets, swales, or private property — including driveways and the empty double-lot across the street.  Park only on the apron along the Bay side of Shore Drive between Ellis and where the beach fence ends.  Remember: there is no street parking in Oyster Harbor except along the east side of Shore Drive.  OHCA can and will tow illegally parked cars.  Direct overflow parking to your own driveway or the community parking lots at Harbor and Creek, Booker Pier, Fishing Creek Park, or the Washington Drive boat ramp.

Swim at your own risk — there is no lifeguard.  Keep your children and rafts away from the nets and pilings, which have splinters, nails, and critters.  Do not swim in the boat channel nor dive from the pier or bulkheads.  CAUTION:  there were lots of jellyfish in 2022 and 2023, and some stung swimmers inside the netted swim area.  Check the water first.

Please help us keep our beach clean for everyone’s enjoyment by picking up all your trash, bagging it, and putting recyclables into containers.  Do not leave cigarette butts in the sand or gazebos.  Please check for personal belongings and try to leave the beach in better shape than you found it.  If you notice any problems or broken equipment, including the electronic beach gate (get your code online in the residents’ area of OHCA’s website), please report them to our Community Manager (ProCom) at 410-721-0777 or online at www.oysterharbor.org.

A port-a-potty is located at the pumping station near the beach gate year-round.  Please help keep it sanitary and report any problems directly to Jiffy John, whose phone number appears on the unit, or OHCA’s Community Manager.

OHCA gets its beach water tested annually for intestinal bacteria (enterococci) May through August by AA County’s Dept. of Health (DoH) and AA Community College’s Operation Clearwater (AACC). The EPA considers bacteria levels below 105 safe for swimming. OHCA’s 2023 readings ranged from a low of 2 on May 22 (DoH) to a high of 370 on July 26 (AACC), with a total of six high readings this year out of 16 (likely due to geese).  The last counts were 8 on August 23 (AACC) and 28 on August 29 (DoH).  DoH has not issued any health warnings for OHCA’s beach in many years but does have a standing 48-hour “do not swim” advisory after more than 1/2 inch of rainfall because the rain flushes animal waste like dog and goose feces into the water (which is one of the reasons why OHCA has a firm “no pet” rule on the beach).

Beach Reservation Request