Md. Code, Natural Resources § 4-1017
This is the official text of Md. Code, Natural Resources § 4-1017, part of Maryland’s Code, Natural Resources — governs parks, wildlife, and natural resource management.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§4–1017.
Official statutory text
(a) Unless a license first is obtained from the Department, a person may not (1) have a fixed place of business buying oysters and employing labor to prepare them for market, or (2) buy more than 25 bushels of oysters per year from persons who catch them from the natural oyster bars of the State.
(b) The Department may not issue a license required by this section unless the applicant pays all taxes due for the prior year under § 4-1020 of this subtitle.
(c) A person may possess oysters caught from the natural oyster bars of the State until one week past the close of the season for taking oysters as established in § 4–1008.1 of this subtitle. Oysters may be caught by dredge or handscrape at any time in Worcester County and may be shipped in the shell at any time within or from that county. In counties where oysters may be caught from leased areas at any time pursuant to the provisions of Subtitle 11A of this title, a person may possess oysters at any time.
(b) The Department may not issue a license required by this section unless the applicant pays all taxes due for the prior year under § 4-1020 of this subtitle.
(c) A person may possess oysters caught from the natural oyster bars of the State until one week past the close of the season for taking oysters as established in § 4–1008.1 of this subtitle. Oysters may be caught by dredge or handscrape at any time in Worcester County and may be shipped in the shell at any time within or from that county. In counties where oysters may be caught from leased areas at any time pursuant to the provisions of Subtitle 11A of this title, a person may possess oysters at any time.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.