In his latest weekly message to the public, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich called for “action to stop house party businesses” in the county following recent reports of community members charging the public money to attend parties that sold alcohol and food and did not have proper permits.
Per Marc Elrich: “We have an update on an issue that has been troubling many people over the past month. Large house parties have caught the attention of Montgomery County state legislators, neighbors, and public safety leaders. I am happy to report that through our efforts over the past week, we were able to thwart some of these events. Our efforts forced organizers to move the planned parties out of Montgomery County.
We have identified some of the homes that are used for multiple parties and are working across departments to quickly respond to illegal activities that occur during these parties, including but not limited to noise disturbances, capacity issues, parking hazards, and alcohol laws.
We know that these parties circumvent laws by charging for things like alcohol and food without obtaining the proper permits. These safeguards are in place to ensure safety. Without these permits, these parties could be dangerous to partygoers and residents. Teams are standing by to respond when parties pop up that aren’t on our radar. It’s important to understand that most violations caused by these parties are civil violations that may warrant a ticket but not an arrest.
It is not a police officer’s job to break up parties if no criminal activity is observed or witnessed. Those who receive tickets will face criminal charges, and repeat tickets may result in criminal charges. If you believe one of these parties has taken place in your neighborhood, notify police at the non-emergency number 301-279-8000.”
