Martinsburg Repeals Skateboarding Ban 3 Decades Later

For decades, skateboarding in Martinsburg meant risking financial penalties. But times appear to have changed.

During its regular Thursday meeting, the Martinsburg City Council voted unanimously to repeal a no-skateboarding ordinance passed in February 1991.

“No person shall ride a skateboard on any public road, street or alley, pedestrian plaza, public park or municipal park, or any public parking lot owned by the City,” read a now-defunct ordinance of the Martinsburg Municipal Code.

Violators of the decades-old policy were subject to fines ranging from $20 to $100. The city was also permitted to seize the skateboards of those accused of violating the ordinance “until time of adjudication.”

Thursday’s unanimous vote brought no in-meeting discussion. But it comes as city officials — plus the Berkeley County government — continue months-long discussions on plans for a potential skatepark in Martinsburg.

No date or location has been finalized, and the construction of a skatepark is not yet guaranteed. But city and county officials have said sports and recreation infrastructure like a skatepark benefits the local community, and keeps youth away from unsafe pastimes.