Worcester County adopts ordinance making camping on county property a misdemeanor

Worcester County Commissioners voted May 20, 2025, to adopt Bill 25‑02, an amendment to county code that converts violations for camping or sleeping on county property from a civil citation to a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a fine and establishes a process for removing personal property left on county land.

The ordinance, which the county attorney said was drafted after a work session with the state's attorney and the sheriff's office, also “clarifies a process for removing personal property that is stored or abandoned on county property,” County Attorney Roscoe Leslie told commissioners during a public hearing.

Supporters framed the change as an enforcement tool. “This ordinance is an additional tool for law enforcement to provide layers of safety for our entire county,” Pocomoke-area Sheriff Chris Foley said at the hearing. “Our residents and our visitors deserve the enjoyment of our public areas and our recreational spaces.”

But county social-services and homelessness outreach providers urged the commission to pair enforcement with housing and treatment options and to use criminal penalties only as a last resort. Roberta Baldwin, director of the Worcester County Department of Social Services, said she “would support an ordinance in efforts to remove individuals from the public areas,” but asked commissioners to “consider looking at alternatives to criminalization and look at, implementing those funds to Housing First efforts and looking to find housing, supportive housing, and other programs to support homeless individuals.”

Representatives of Diakonia and the county's rapid outreach team described on‑the‑ground outreach work and said some people repeatedly refuse services; the outreach team’s Stephanie Van Gasback said the proposed law would be a backstop for cases “when all other efforts fail.” Ken Argot of Diakonia described the outreach work and said the intent of enforcement should be to get people into treatment or services when other options have been exhausted.

Several public commenters — including service providers and residents — repeated the request that criminal penalties be used only after outreach and engagement have been attempted. Rebecca Jones of the health department’s outreach network summarized existing resources and urged that penalties be “the last resort.”

After the public hearing, Commissioner Metressek moved to adopt Bill 25‑02; Commissioner Fiore seconded. The motion carried and the record shows the commissioners approved the measure.

County staff and outreach groups told commissioners they would continue coordinating contact protocols so law enforcement can route people to outreach teams and services before criminal measures are used in appropriate cases.

The ordinance is intended to give law enforcement a clear statutory tool for use when people on county property pose an ongoing public-safety problem or refuse repeated offers of services; it does not itself create new outreach programs or funding. Commissioners and several speakers said additional housing and treatment resources remain a priority as the county implements the new rule.