Cleveland, OH Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Smoking buffer at city workplaces
- 150 feet from entrances/exits
- First offense
- Warning only
- Second offense fine
- $150
- Third offense fine
- $250
- Fourth+ offense fine
- $350, per day
- Appeal window
- 20 days to Director of Public Health
Summary
Cleveland bans smoking, including e-cigarettes and other alternative nicotine products, in city-owned outdoor areas like parks, recreation areas, Public Square and downtown malls, and within 150 feet of any city workplace entrance, under Codified Ordinances §§ 235.01–235.02.
§ 235.01 Declaration of Nonsmoking Places, Prohibition. (a) Pursuant to RC 3794.05, the City hereby declares any outdoor area owned and/or controlled by the City and not otherwise qualifying as a nonsmoking place under RC Chapter 3794, to be a nonsmoking place, except areas specifically designated by the Director of Public Works as a designated smoking area. (b) No person shall refuse to immediately discontinue smoking in the outdoor areas declared nonsmoking places by this section when requested to do so by the Director of Public Health or his or her designee or any authorized City officer or employee. ... § 235.02 (a) Smoking is prohibited within one hundred fifty (150) feet of any entrance or exit of a City place of employment...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-28: Current through legislation passed September 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
05. 01(d)(4) to include city-owned public parks, city-owned outdoor recreation areas, city-owned swimming pools, picnic shelters within city parks, Public Square, all downtown malls open to the public, and other city-owned areas adjacent to city-owned buildings used by the public, but it carves out city golf courses, North Coast Harbor, Voinovich Park, the 9th Street Pier, city fishing piers and breakwalls, city cemeteries, and designated airport smoking areas. 01(d)(3) to include electronic cigarettes and other alternative nicotine products, not just burning tobacco; incense burned in a religious ceremony is exempt.
01(c) requires "No Smoking" signs posted at every ingress and egress of these areas. 02(a) bars smoking within 150 feet of any entrance or exit of a city place of employment, with an exception for real property not owned by the city and for designated smoking areas at city airports or buildings.
Violations & Fines
Under § 235.99(b), a violation of § 235.01(b) or § 235.02(a) is a civil offense: a warning on the first offense, a $150 fine on the second, $250 on the third, and $350 on the fourth and every subsequent offense, with each day of violation a separate offense. Violations may be appealed in writing to the Director of Public Health within 20 days of the citation; missing that window waives the right to contest and is treated as an admission. The Director of Public Health may also adopt enforcement rules effective 30 days after publication in the City Record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cleveland's outdoor smoking ban cover vaping?
Where exactly is outdoor smoking banned in Cleveland?
What happens on a first smoking violation in a banned area?
Can I smoke near a city building entrance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cleveland
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