Conway, AR Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

The City of Conway, Arkansas bans smoking and tobacco use throughout its park system under Chapter 12.16 of the Conway Municipal Code. Section 12.16.02 prohibits smoking or using tobacco products in all present and future city parks and recreational facilities, and extends the ban to within fifty (50) feet of those parks and facilities. The definitions in § 12.16.01 sweep broadly: 'smoking' covers inhaling, exhaling, or carrying any lighted cigarette, cigar, pipe, plant, or other combustible substance, and 'recreational facility' explicitly names park pavilions, amphitheaters, covered stage areas, tennis courts, walking and bike trails, athletic fields, and dugouts, so the rule reaches far beyond just open green space.

Section 12.16.02(C) separately bans disposing of any cigarette, cigar, or tobacco product in a city park or recreational facility at any time, targeting butt litter as its own violation apart from the act of smoking. Enforcement carries an escalating fine schedule under § 12.16.03(A): $25 plus court costs for a first offense, $50 plus court costs for a second offense, and $100 plus court costs for a third or subsequent offense, all charged as a misdemeanor. Section 12.16.03(B) adds a separate consequence for anyone who refuses to stop: a person asked to cease smoking or tobacco use who does not comply, and does not leave when asked, can be prosecuted for criminal trespass in addition to the smoking citation. Conway Police Department officers and Parks and Recreation staff enforce the ban across every park, pavilion, and trail in the system.