🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Ocean City, MD
Ocean City Pumps the Brakes Again: One More Year on STR Pause
Another Year on Hold: Ocean City Extends Its STR Timeout
Ocean City is hitting the pause button once again on short-term rentals, with the Town Council voting 4–2 to extend its moratorium all the way to January 3, 2027. If you’re wondering what that means for the neighborhoods already feeling the squeeze of fast-moving turnover: for now, no new short-term rental licenses will be issued in residential areas or mobile home communities. The extension keeps a firm freeze in place while town leaders sort through the big question—what should short-term rentals in Ocean City really look like?
This latest move didn’t come out of nowhere. It followed weeks of discussion and a recent work session where council members took a hard look at their own internal survey responses on possible updates to the rental regulations. That behind-the-scenes reflection seems to have reinforced their belief that more time is needed before making any lasting decisions on how STRs fit into local neighborhoods.
Still, the community response wasn’t exactly calm seas. Homeowner Terry Miller—who played a major role in July’s referendum that overturned an earlier rental ordinance, said the extension feels like déjà vu. In her view, the concerns of residents are getting pushed aside. She’s ready to rally once more, saying she plans to petition for another vote and hopes the town eventually shifts its attention toward what she considers the “real issues.” Her message was clear: the community isn’t done speaking up.
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Mayor Rick Meehan, however, framed the extension as time well spent. He emphasized that the council is considering several long-term solutions and that preserving the character of established neighborhoods remains front and center. As he put it, many residents want stability, places where they know they won’t see rapid turnover, rising traffic, or constant change from week-to-week visitors. Extending the moratorium, he said, gives the council room to fully explore what tools could best protect that sense of neighborhood consistency.
And the list of potential tools is a long one. Options under discussion include setting a seven-night minimum stay, capping or freezing the number of short-term rental licenses, limiting how many properties a single owner (or corporate operator) can control, and even allowing only one renter per seven-day period. All of these ideas would apply exclusively to short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods and mobile home communities—but they could reshape how STRs operate in those pockets of town.
One important note: this new expiration date isn’t locked in stone. If the council lands on a set of regulations sooner rather than later, Mayor Meehan made clear the moratorium could be lifted ahead of January 2027. Until then, Ocean City’s STR future remains in planning mode and residents on both sides are gearing up for another chapter in this ongoing debate.
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