Bensalem, PA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Section 38-3 of the Bensalem Township Code prohibits smoking on all township-owned property and public places, including every park area owned by the Township, all township recreational facilities, and any other indoor or outdoor area the Township owns. The chapter's findings in Section 38-1 cite the health risk of involuntary smoking to nonsmokers as the basis for the ban. Section 38-2 defines a public place as any indoor or outdoor facility owned by the Township and used by the general public, including parks and recreational facilities, or serving as a workplace for public employees or a meeting place for a public body; the 2020 amendment (Ord.

No. 2020-02) expanded the definition of smoking to include electronic nicotine delivery systems, electronic cigarettes, and vaporizer devices. Council built in two named exceptions: the outdoor areas of the Bensalem Township Country Club Golf Course and designated smoking areas at the Township's Amphitheater, both of which must be posted. Section 38-5 gives enforcement authority to the Township Police Department, the Building and Planning Inspectors, Fire Inspectors, Park Rangers, and Community Service Officers, along with any other department Council approves, all of whom can issue citations directly.

A Township employee caught smoking in violation faces disciplinary action decided by the Director of Administration, on top of the fine, and the chapter states that a nonsmoker's right to protect his or her health and comfort takes precedence over an employee's desire to smoke.