Eugene, OR Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- EC 6.230, 6.235
- Entrance buffer
- 10 feet minimum; 25 feet for city buildings
- Downtown core
- Smoking barred citywide (EC 4.871 area)
- First-offense fine
- $50 to $100
- Repeat fine (3rd+/12 mo)
- $250 to $500 each
- Code currency
- Current through Ord. 20739 (June 8, 2026)
Summary
Eugene bans smoking within 10 feet of any entrance to a smoke-free building, on the exterior of city-owned youth facilities, and citywide in the downtown core unless the city manager designates an exception area. Employers must keep smoke away from every employee.
Smoking is prohibited on all real property owned by the city and in all public places and all places of employment within the city, including, but not limited to the following: ... (d) Service lines, or within ten feet of a service line that extends out of doors. ... (k) Within publicly owned buildings and within 25 feet of any entrance or air intake to, or any operable window of, any such building. ... (o) Within a reasonable distance, of not less than ten feet, of any entrance to any enclosed area where smoking is prohibited. ... (r) Within the downtown core as that area is defined in section 4.871 of this code.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 20739, passed June 8, 2026).
Full Breakdown
230 bans smoking on all city-owned property and in every public place and place of employment, and the ban reaches well past building walls. Subsection (2)(k) prohibits smoking within 25 feet of any entrance, air intake, or operable window of a publicly owned building. Subsection (2)(o) sets a general buffer of not less than 10 feet from any entrance to an enclosed area where smoking is barred, and subsection (2)(d) applies the same 10-foot rule to outdoor service lines. Subsection (2)(p) extends the ban to the full exterior, sidewalks, patios and alleys, of city-owned buildings whose primary purpose is serving children under 18, such as libraries, pools and community centers.
019. Property owners can also ask the city manager to extend the ban into adjacent public rights-of-way under subsection (2)(q). 235 requires "No Smoking" signs, of a form the city manager approves, posted at every primary entrance to an affected building, and makes it unlawful to remove or deface those signs. The Eugene Code is current through Ordinance 20739, passed June 8, 2026, so this framework reflects the most recent amendments on file.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of EC 6.230 or 6.235 draws a fine of $50 to $100 upon conviction. A second violation within 12 months of the first runs $100 to $200, and a third or later violation in that same 12-month window runs $250 to $500 per offense (EC 6.990(12)). The city may instead, or in addition, impose an administrative civil penalty under EC 6.995 and EC 2.018. Retaliating against an employee, applicant or customer for reporting a violation is separately unlawful under EC 6.235(4).
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Eugene
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