Stanislaus County, CA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 20 feet from a public park playground
- Products covered
- Marijuana, cigars, cigarettes, vaping, nicotine products
- Added by
- Ordinance CS 1392, effective April 29, 2025
- Violation class
- Infraction, $100/$200/$400 escalating fines
- Enforcement
- Parks director, sheriff, or authorized agent
Summary
Stanislaus County bans smoking and vaping, including marijuana, cigars, cigarettes and any tobacco or nicotine product, within twenty feet of any public park playground, and it's also unlawful to discard lit or unlit cigars and cigarettes there. The rule, added in 2025, is enforced as an infraction by park staff and the sheriff.
It is unlawful to smoke or vaporize products of any kind, including, but not limited to, marijuana, cigars, cigarettes, and any tobacco or nicotine products, or to discard lighted or unlighted cigars or cigarettes within twenty feet of a public park playground and other areas as defined by state law.
Full Breakdown
06's General Recreation Area Regulations, makes it unlawful to smoke or vaporize products of any kind, including, but not limited to, marijuana, cigars, cigarettes, and any tobacco or nicotine products, or to discard lighted or unlighted cigars or cigarettes within twenty feet of a public park playground and other areas as defined by state law. The ban covers vaping as well as traditional smoking, applies to cannabis products and nicotine products alike, and extends beyond the playground itself to other areas as defined by state law, pulling in whatever buffer zones state law separately designates.
050, so it defaults to an infraction. Anyone ejected or banned from a park for violating the rule can appeal first to the director of parks and recreation within ten days, and then to the chief executive officer within ten more days, whose decision is final.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of the twenty-foot smoking buffer is an infraction under Section 18.20.040 and the county's general infraction schedule in Section 1.36.020, punishable by a mandatory one-hundred-dollar fine; a second violation of the same ordinance within a year rises to two hundred dollars, and each additional violation within that year costs four hundred dollars. Park staff or a sheriff's deputy can also eject a violator from the park under Section 18.20.010.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I vape near a county park playground?
What's the fine for smoking too close to a playground?
Does the twenty-foot rule apply anywhere else besides playgrounds?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stanislaus County
California rules heatmap·Compare Stanislaus County to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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