Charleston, SC Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Section 21-133 defines 'smoking' broadly to mean inhaling, exhaling or otherwise using any cigar, cigarette, pipe, hookah, e-cigarette or other tobacco or vapor device that releases smoke, mist or vapor, then flatly prohibits it in all public parks and playgrounds owned, leased or operated by the City of Charleston. The ban traces to Ordinance No. 2018-061, adopted May 8, 2018. Four narrow exceptions apply: a designated smoking area approved by the recreation commission, performers whose smoking is part of a theatrical production, religious ceremonies where smoking is part of the ritual, and medical research.

This park-specific ban sits alongside a separate, older ordinance, § 21-131, that bans smoking inside city-owned or operated indoor buildings except where the mayor designates smoking areas in lobbies, restrooms or snack bars, and § 21-132, the 2007 workplace smoking law that bars smoking inside enclosed workplaces citywide with its own exceptions for cigar bars, retail tobacco stores and private residences. Section 21-132's enforcement and civil-penalty scheme, a $10 to $25 infraction fine, applies by cross-reference to violations under the related smoking sections, and the police department and designated code enforcement staff both have authority to issue citations. A violation is also declared a public nuisance that the city may abate by restraining order or injunction and recover its abatement costs.