# Part 1 – In General

Current through 2026-07-17. Source: City of Balt., Md., Ord. 26-129. Published by the Baltimore City Department of Legislative Reference.

## § 27-1 Definitions.

Balt., Md., Code art. 19, § 27-1 (2026)

(a) The term “assignation” shall be construed to include:

  (1) the making of any appointment or engagement for prostitution or lewdness; or

  (2) any act in furtherance of such appointment or engagement.

(b) The term “lewdness” shall be construed to mean any unnatural sexual practice.

(c) The term “prostitution” shall be construed to mean the offering or receiving of the body for sexual intercourse for hire.

(d) “Public place” means:

  (1) any street, sidewalk, bridge, or alley or alleyway, plaza, park, driveway, parking lot, or transportation facility; or

  (2) a motor vehicle in or on any such place.

*History: Ord. 77-434*

*History: Ord. 79-1131*

*History: Ord.22-125*

## § 27-2 Legislative findings.

Balt., Md., Code art. 19, § 27-2 (2026)

The Mayor and City Council hereby finds and declares that:

(1) loitering for the purpose of prostitution, lewdness, or assignation, patronizing, or promoting same is disruptive of the public peace in that certain persons engaged in such conduct in public places harass and interfere with the use and enjoyment by other persons of such public places thereby constituting a danger to the public health and safety; and

(2) in recent years, the incidence of such conduct in public places has increased significantly in that persons aggressively engaging in promoting, patronizing, or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution, lewdness, or assignation have, by their course of conduct in public places, caused citizens who venture into such public places to be the unwilling victims of repeated harassment, interference, and assault upon their individual privacy, as a result of which such public places have become unsafe and the ordinary community and commercial life of certain neighborhoods has been disrupted and has deteriorated.

*History: Ord. 77-434*

*History: Ord. 79-1131*

*History: Ord. 04-672*

## § 27-3 Prohibited conduct.

Balt., Md., Code art. 19, § 27-3 (2026)

It shall be unlawful for any person or persons, who are remaining, standing, loitering, or wandering about at any public place or place open or legally accessible to the public in such a manner as to beckon to, or repeatedly stop, or repeatedly attempt to engage passersby in conversation, or repeatedly stop or attempt to stop motor vehicles, or repeatedly interfere with the free passage of other persons, for the purpose or with the intention of either engaging in and/or promoting prostitution, lewdness, or assignation, to disobey a request by a police officer to move on.

*History: Ord. 77-434*

*History: Ord. 79-1131*

*History: Ord. 94-315*

## § 27-3.1 Enforcement by citation.

Balt., Md., Code art. 19, § 27-3.1 (2026)

(a) In addition to any other civil or criminal remedy or enforcement procedure, this subtitle may be enforced by issuance of a civil citation under City Code <cite data-path="|1">Article 1</cite>, Subtitle 41 {“Civil Citations”}.

(b) The issuance of a civil citation to enforce this subtitle does not preclude pursuing any other civil or criminal remedy or enforcement action authorized by law.

*History: Ord. 03-595*

## § 27-4 Penalties.

Balt., Md., Code art. 19, § 27-4 (2026)

Any person violating any of the provisions of this Part shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment in jail not exceeding 12 months, or to both fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court.

*History: Ord. 77-434*

*History: Ord. 79-1131*

*History: Ord. 85-568*

*History: Ord. 94-315*

## §§ 27-5 to 27-10

Balt., Md., Code art. 19, § 27-5 to 27-10 (2026)

Reserved