Town of Rock Hall, MD Occupational License Fees

[Amended 9-10-1998 by Ord. No. 98-03]

All license fees shall be due and payable to the Clerk-Treasurer of the Town of Rock Hall on July 1 of each year, and all licenses shall expire on June 30 following. Any license issued at any time between July 1 and June 30 shall pay the full annual fee. No fee shall be prorated. No money shall be refunded for the discontinuance of a business before the end of the license year.

For the purpose of identifying the permanent, working businesses which are physically located within the incorporated limits of the Town of Rock Hall; for the purpose of policing the uses of such businesses in relationship to the Zoning Code of the Town of Rock Hall; and for programs intended to support and promote commerce, the Town of Rock Hall hereby imposes a business license fee of $100 for the following businesses:

[Amended 6-14-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-03; 12-8-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-03]

(1)

Appliance and furniture rental/leasing.

(2)

Arcade: a business establishment offering for public use any form of game, machine, instrument or apparatus operated by coin, slug or similar medium.

(3)

Arts and crafts gallery (including photography): a license issued to a specific business location in a building, in the name of the business operator or property owner, or both. Written permission of the property owner must be furnished in order to obtain the license.

(4)

Auction sales.

(5)

Automobile sales and/or rental agency.

(6)

Automobile storage garages and parking lots.

(7)

Bakeshop (where not an incidental use to other businesses).

(8)

Bank or other financial or lending association, institutions or corporations (per office branch) in Town limits.

(9)

Barbershop, beauty parlor or similar establishment.

(10)

Bicycle rental or repair center, which license shall include the right to sell bicycles or bicycle supplies in connection therewith.

(11)

Boat livery, renting by hour or day of motor boats, rowboats, paddleboats, peddleboats, jet skis, wind surfers, sailfish or similar boats up to 20 feet in length.

(12)

Brokers and dealers in bonds, stocks, commodities, mortgages or other securities of any kind.

(13)

Car wash.

(14)

Check cashing services.

(15)

Cold storage and refrigeration of food and food products.

(16)

Concessions or seasonal amusements not in arcades (not including local nonprofit organizations).

(17)

Construction vehicle or equipment renting business.

(18)

Convenience stores.

(19)

Dance schools.

(20)

Day care: in home, up to 10 full-time children.

(21)

Day spa facility, massage salon or establishment:

(a)

Provided that the facility is managed or supervised by an aesthetician, licensed by the State of Maryland; and

(b)

Provided that any deep massage is only to be performed by a massage practitioner, licensed under Chapter 61B, Licensed Massage Practitioners, of the Annotated Code of Maryland.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: For current provisions regarding massage therapists, see the Health Occupations Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, § 3-5A-01 et seq.

(22)

Dry-cleaning, laundry or pressing establishments.

(23)

Employment agency with office in Town.

(24)

Exterminators.

(25)

Fortune tellers/palm readers.

(26)

Furniture movers, package delivery services and other moving or delivery services.

(27)

Gasoline station and/or auto repair service.

(28)

General building trades contractors and subcontractors.

(29)

Golf courses (obstacle, midget or miniature).

(30)

Gym, athletic, tennis and health club.

(31)

Hawkers, if permitted. Note: No license will be issued for hawking on any Town street or public way, boardwalk, beach or any parking lot.

(32)

Home occupation not covered in other sections of this article.

(33)

Ice plant.

(34)

Insurance agency with office in Town.

(35)

Laundromats.

(36)

Locksmiths.

(37)

Management consultants.

(38)

Manufacturers, bottlers, distributors.

(39)

Mini-storage warehouses.

(40)

Nursing homes/rehabilitation centers.

(41)

Package stores wherein alcoholic spirits, wine and beer are sold.

(42)

Pawnbrokers.

(43)

Peddlers (person going door to door with merchandise).

(44)

Pool or billiard table establishment.

(45)

Photography/portrait studio.

(46)

Premises for habitation:

(a)

Condominium units, cooperatives, townhouses, duplex or multi-unit single family units, if rented by a rental pool agreement.

(b)

Apartments (whether a part of a complex or incidental to another structure, regardless as to residential occupancy), cottages, cabins or other similar establishments offering accommodations for public rental.

(c)

Motor courts, hotels, motels, inns, bed-and-breakfast, owner-occupied rooming, boarding or private houses or any other similar entity offering accommodations on premises for public rental.

(47)

Professional and nonprofessional service businesses.

(48)

Promotional advertising.

(49)

Propane gas, heating oil, gasoline or similar delivery service at retail with offices located within the Town.

(50)

Publisher of a newspaper.

(51)

Radio broadcasting and television stations.

(52)

Real estate offices engaged in the sale or rental of real estate.

(53)

Recreational boat charters and boat and yacht brokers.

(a)

Marina owners of record operating the above out of the owner's marina shall be exempt from above fees.

(54)

Recreational marinas.

(55)

Restaurant or hotel dining room.

(56)

Retail shops and stores:

(a)

Selling groceries and/or general merchandise.

(57)

Watermen, commercial, active, who reside within the Town limits of Rock Hall or who own or rent their own boat slip within the Town limits of Rock Hall.

Any business which is incidental to the major business shall be listed; however, only the major business is required to pay the business license fee of $75; only one business license fee shall be due and collected for each federal employee identification number or social security number.

[Amended 6-14-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-03]

Any offender violating any of the provisions of this chapter or committing any of the acts herein declared to be unlawful shall, upon conviction thereof, by a court of competent jurisdiction, be deemed guilty of an offense classified as a municipal infraction and be punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500. Each day any violation of any provision of this chapter shall continue or reoccur shall constitute a separate offense.

Any person charged with an offense under this chapter may waive trial and prepay the fine or penalty by so indicating on the summons issued to him/her and returning same to the Rock Hall Town Office in person with cash in the amount of the prepaid fine at least five days before the trial date noted on said summons, and in such event shall not be required to stand trial and shall be deemed to have, by such waiver and prepayment, admitted to have committed the offense charged. Summonses, in lieu of custodial apprehension, are hereby authorized.

In addition to the fines and penalties herein described, the Mayor and Council of Rock Hall may avail themselves of any and all civil and equitable remedies for the purpose of stopping continuing offenses of the above chapter.