Alameda County, CA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer
- 20 ft from entrances/exits
- Also covers
- Outdoor restaurant dining areas
- First offense
- $500 fine
- Subsequent offense
- $1,000 fine
- Scope
- Unincorporated county only
Summary
Unincorporated Alameda County bans smoking within 20 feet of building entrances, exits, and outdoor dining areas, extending its enclosed-space smoking ban into nearby outdoor space.
A. Smoking shall be prohibited in all enclosed public places within the unincorporated areas of Alameda County, including, but not limited to, the following places: ... 4. Outdoor areas near any entrance or exit to any facility in which smoking is prohibited. Smokers must maintain a "reasonable distance" of at least twenty (20) feet from all such entrances, exits, windows, ventilation systems or any other means ... 6. ... indoor and outdoor dining areas of restaurants, hotels and motels ...
Full Breakdown
Section 6.72.050 extends unincorporated Alameda County's indoor smoking ban outdoors in two specific ways: smokers must keep a "reasonable distance" of at least twenty feet from the entrances, exits, windows, and ventilation systems of any facility where smoking is banned, and the outdoor as well as indoor dining areas of restaurants, hotels, and motels are off-limits to smoking entirely. The ordinance covers county-owned facilities, transit stops, service lines, and other enclosed public places, but reaches outdoors only through the twenty-foot buffer and the outdoor-dining rule. It applies solely in unincorporated communities like Castro Valley and San Lorenzo, not inside the county's incorporated cities, including the separate City of Alameda.
Violations & Fines
Smoking where prohibited is a misdemeanor under Section 6.72.110: a $500 fine for a first violation and $1,000 for each subsequent violation, enforced by the county health officer and the Alameda County sheriff's department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke on a restaurant patio in Castro Valley?
Does this rule apply in the City of Alameda or Oakland?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alameda County
California rules heatmap·Compare Alameda County to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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