A bill to crack down on illegal festivities in county neighborhoods by applying stricter regulations and increasing fines for commercial events held at private residences and other venues was introduced in the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday.
Councilmembers Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) and Dawn Luedtke (D-Dist. 7) are sponsoring the bill that, according to the legislative packet, would impose greater penalties on commercial parties that are unlicensed and unpermitted.
The bill would “prohibit an unlicensed party for gain or profit to which the general public is admitted with certain exceptions” and “establish the penalty for violation of the prohibition against an unlicensed party for gain or profit at a residential property to which the general public is admitted,” according to the council staff report.
The proposed penalty would be a fine of up to $5,000. The penalty is currently $500, which Luedtke said has not deterred unlicensed party organizers, who find the events to be financially lucrative enough to justify the penalty.
“These folks aren’t getting permitted, and there’s no reason for them to do so when the [penalty] is not nearly big enough to deter the conduct, which brings in a lot of money,” Luedtke said when introducing the bill Tuesday. “This was a carefully crafted step to try to make sure that we are taking significant action to deter that conduct. By increasing the fine … that is a significant hit and will make you think twice before you are engaging in this kind of conduct.”
Last year, unlicensed commercial parties caught the attention of local lawmakers after residents complained about several pool parties held at mansions in the county without permits. Some of these events involved the unlicensed sale of alcohol, hookah and marijuana.
At one event held over Memorial Day weekend, public safety officials estimated that about 1,000 people attended a “Wet Dreams” pool party at a Potomac residence, creating parking chaos in the neighborhood.
The “Wet Dreams” party caused a stir on social media as well, with community members complaining that they were unable to leave or enter the neighborhood in their cars because of the crowd. Some residents told Bethesda Today after the party that they had witnessed illegal drug use and fireworks, and heard conversations implying sex work was occurring at the party.
It is unclear from social media how much it cost to attend, but party goers were able to purchase cabanas with liquor bottle service and hookah for between $1,000 and $2,000, depending on the number of people in their group and choice of liquor, according to advertisements posted by event organizers.
“These promoted commercial events are at times sexually explicit,” Friedson said Tuesday, referencing the “Wet Dreams” party that occurred in his district. “They turned a home into a promoted nightclub in the middle of a residential community, causing all kinds of disruption.”
The rise of these events in the county has led to increased patrols and surveillance by the county government and police force, some of which has been reported to be successful in shutting down events.
Councilmember Gabe Albornoz (D-At-large) noted Tuesday that the county had passed laws cracking down on activities held in county-owned buildings and properties rented by private entities.
“People who would rent properties, misrepresenting what the event was, and then causing all sorts of havoc within the community,” Albornoz said. “This was addressed at the county and municipal level. It makes all the sense in the world to extend it to our community level.”
A public hearing on the legislation will be held at 1:30 p.m. on June 10 during the council’s regular meeting in Rockville. A vote has not yet been scheduled.
