Baytown, TX Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Section 42-100 of the Baytown Code, part of the smoking-regulation article in chapter 42, provides directly that smoking shall be prohibited in the seating areas of all outdoor arenas, stadiums, and amphitheaters. This extends the city's broader indoor smoking ban, set out in section 42-98 for enclosed public places like restaurants, bars, and sports arenas, into outdoor seating at large public venues. Section 42-101 layers on a 'reasonable distance' rule: smoking is also prohibited within 15 feet outside any enclosed area where smoking is banned, to keep smoke from drifting back in through doors, windows or ventilation systems.

Section 42-102 lists narrow exemptions from the general smoking article, such as private residences, private vehicles not used for employment, and designated hotel smoking rooms capped at 20 percent of a property's rented rooms, but outdoor arena seating under section 42-100 is not among the exempted categories. The director of health enforces the article under section 42-106, with authority to inspect during other mandated inspections or at the department's discretion, and citizens may file complaints directly with the health department or bring their own legal action to compel enforcement.