Cedar Rapids, IA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Fine
- $65.00 per violation
- Buffer zone
- 30 feet from listed facility entrances
- Covered sites
- Aquatic centers, playgrounds, Greene Square, restrooms, more
- Youth programs
- No smoking within 30 feet during programs
- Exception
- Parks and Recreation Director special-event permit only
- Religious use exempt
- Incense/ceremonial smoke excluded from the ban
Summary
Cedar Rapids Municipal Code § 10.13 bans smoking within 30 feet of a dozen listed park facilities, including aquatic centers, playgrounds, park restrooms, and Greene Square, plus a 30-foot buffer around youth programs and Parks and Recreation concerts. The Parks and Recreation Director can grant a special-event exception, and each violation carries a $65.00 fine.
(a)Smoking is prohibited and a person shall not smoke in or on the following facilities, in or on city owned real estate, which is within 30 feet of such facilities; entrances:1.Aquatic Centers, swimming pools and splash pads;2.Playgrounds;3.Exercise stations;4.Golf course clubhouses;5.Enclosed shelters;6.Ushers Ferry Historical Village;7.Park restrooms;8.Tait Cummins Sports Complex except when in a privately owned vehicle;9.Tuma Soccer Complex except when in a privately owned vehicle;10.Northwest Recreation Center;11.Riverside Skate Park, and;12.Greene Square...(f)The penalty for violation of any provision of section 10.13 shall be $65.00 for each violation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 24).
Full Breakdown
13(a) lists twelve specific places where smoking is banned outright on city-owned real estate, plus the 30 feet surrounding each facility's entrances: aquatic centers, swimming pools and splash pads; playgrounds; exercise stations; golf course clubhouses; enclosed shelters; Ushers Ferry Historical Village; park restrooms; the Tait Cummins Sports Complex and the Tuma Soccer Complex, except inside a privately owned vehicle at those two; the Northwest Recreation Center; Riverside Skate Park; and Greene Square. Subsection (b) adds a second, activity-based ban: no smoking is allowed where a program for people under 18 is underway, or within 30 feet of it, covering Parks and Recreation Department activities, athletic games and practices, and camp or educational programs.
Subsection (c) bars smoking at any park venue during a Parks and Recreation-sponsored concert. Subsection (d) gives the Parks and Recreation Director authority to except, suspend, or modify the smoking ban by permit for a special event. Subsection (e) defines 'smoke' or 'smoking' as inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted cigar, cigarette, pipe, or other lighted tobacco product, and it carves out smoke tied to a recognized religious ceremony or ritual, including burning incense, from the ban entirely. 13, a fine last updated by Ordinance 025-23.
Violations & Fines
Every violation of § 10.13, whether smoking within 30 feet of a listed facility, at a youth program, or during a Parks and Recreation concert, carries a flat $65.00 fine under § 10.13(f). The Parks and Recreation Director is the only official who can authorize an exception, and only in advance by special-event permit under § 10.13(d); there is no after-the-fact defense once the citation is issued.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where exactly is smoking banned in Cedar Rapids parks?
What's the fine for smoking in a banned park area?
Does the smoking ban cover vaping or e-cigarettes?
Can smoking ever be allowed at a park event?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cedar Rapids
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