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El Dorado County, CA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
County Code Section 9.46.720
Rule
Smoking allowed only in designated, posted areas
Applies to
All County parks, trails, playgrounds, recreation centers
Enforcement
Parks Division staff or any peace officer
Repeat violations
Each day of violation is a separate offense
Park hours
6 a.m. to one hour after sunset

Summary

El Dorado County bans smoking throughout the parks, trails and open space it manages except in areas the Parks Division has specifically designated for it. Section 9.46.720 of the County Parks Ordinance applies countywide to every County-operated park, playground and recreation center, and Parks Division staff or any peace officer can eject a smoker who lights up outside a marked zone.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of El Dorado County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

Sec. 9.46.720. - Smoking. Smoking is permitted in designated areas only. (Code 1997, § 9.46.720; Ord. No. 4586, 8-14-2001)

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13 Update 4).

Full Breakdown

46, the County Parks Ordinance adopted under Ordinance No. 020, sweeps broadly: "park" covers "any park, playground, bicycle or multi-use trail, recreation center or any other lands or facilities owned, operated, maintained, administered or managed by the County and devoted to active or passive recreation," plus all facilities, improvements and adjacent water within them. That means the smoking limit follows every County trailhead, ballfield and picnic area, not just a fenced park boundary. 060, so the smoking restriction runs for those same hours. 040 rests with "any Department employee or designee or any peace officer," who can eject from the park, or revoke the park-use permission of, anyone smoking outside a posted designated area.

090 makes "each calendar day upon which a violation of this chapter occurs" a separate offense, a smoker who returns to the same spot the next day faces a new violation rather than a continuation of the first. 080 on compliance with the smoking rule and revoke a permit for noncompliance.

Violations & Fines

Smoking outside a posted designated area is enforced the same way as other park-conduct violations under Chapter 9.46: a Department employee or peace officer can order the smoker to stop, eject them from the park, and revoke any permit or reservation tied to their visit. Because Section 9.46.090 treats each day of noncompliance as a distinct offense, repeat smoking at the same park can generate a new violation on every visit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I smoke anywhere in an El Dorado County park?
No. Section 9.46.720 permits smoking only in areas the Parks Division has specifically designated and posted for it; every other part of a County park, trail, playground or recreation center is off-limits to smoking under the same section of the County Parks Ordinance.
Who enforces the smoking rule in County parks?
Section 9.46.040 gives enforcement authority to any Chief Administrative Office Parks Division employee or designee, as well as any peace officer, both of whom can eject a violator from the park or revoke their permit to use it under the same chapter.
Does the smoking restriction apply to County trails, not just fenced parks?
Yes. Section 9.46.020 defines "park" to include any trail, playground, or recreation facility the County owns or manages, so the designated-areas-only smoking rule in Section 9.46.720 follows County trail corridors and open space the same as a developed park.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in El Dorado County

All El Dorado County rules

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