The Howard County Council unanimously voted to pass an emergency measure Wednesday that cracks down on for-profit house parties. 

The bill raises fines for paid parties on residential properties from $250 to $2,500 for the first offense and $5,000 for any further offenses. 

Some also testified against it, concerned some families will be losing a big resource, especially in finding pools.

For-profit house parties in Maryland 

Howard County Councilwoman Deb Jung introduced the measure last Monday in an emergency session to address safety concerns surrounding for-profit parties.

At Monday's hearing, she said the parties are held at homes that are rented out and promoted on websites like Eventbrite. The parties violate zoning laws, which prohibit short-term rentals and commercial activity in some residential areas.

Jung introduced it as emergency legislation because the Montgomery County Council voted to increase their fine for these parties to $5,000, and she worried those parties would relocate to Howard County.

Howard County has seen similar parties, though county police told our partners at The Baltimore Banner they are usually called to the events for noise complaints, disorderly conduct, or parking issues. Officials said the parties usually die down after police arrive.

Council chair Liz Walsh was absent from Wednesday's vote.

"It's no longer safe"

Before the vote, several residents who live on Llanfair Drive in Columbia testified to the impact of living next to a home that hosts these parties.

Mark Southerland lives right next to it, and he's grown used to seeing large groups of people walking to his neighbor's house for a party.

When it happens, his quiet cul-de-sac becomes crowded with cars, often blocking his mailbox and his driveway. He adds that police often make a visit when these parties happen.

"It's no longer safe for the children in our neighborhood to play basketball and street hockey as they've done for years," Southerland said. "Our neighborhood was not built or zoned to support this kind of commercial activity."

Southerland's neighbors also testified to seeing cases of public intoxication, fights, and sometimes partygoers racing down their street.

"After things quieted down, I went outside and found the streets littered with trash," said Lynn Lascola. "The last group of partgoers didn't leave Llanfair until 11 p.m."

Concern for unintended consequences

Most of those who testified against the measure use the platform Swimply, which is where you can rent people's pools by the hour.

"We prioritize being good neighbors and have established clear rules and boundaries to ensure our pool is used respectfully and safely," said Sabera Husain, from Cooksville, who is a host on Swimply.

Husain also said many families use Swimply for religious reasons or children with special needs.

"It's therapeutic for my son. It's really one of the few options that my family has to take my son out of the house, for him to get exercise," said Swimply user Gregg Greenburg. "This is one of the few things that makes him happy."

Yona Meissner, Head of Operations for Swimply, testified, asking for some kind of exceptions or considerations for those like Swimply users.

"I worry [this measure] can infringe on residents who are using Swimply to provide good," Meissner said.

Several councilmembers noted that Swimply rentals also are in violation of county code, but also appeared open to discussing ways to modernize the code for certain cases -- like rentals on Swimply.

Council Vice Chair Opel Jones said these nuances would have been included if the county council had more time to discuss and flesh out the bill.

However, he's committed to figuring out how to include them in future legislation.

"This type of bill needed its time," Jones said. "The five of us can come back to the table and have more bills to discuss this issue to get it right."