Evanston, IL Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 8-18, the Clean Air Act - Smoking, prohibits smoking in a long list of enclosed places, but several entries reach outdoor and semi-outdoor space directly. Section 8-18-5 names beaches, playgrounds and tot lots, and sidewalk cafes licensed by the City as no-smoking locations in their own right, alongside sports arenas or recreational areas and "enclosed places in outdoor arenas." Section 8-18-6, the "Reasonable Distance" rule, extends the ban outward from every covered building: smoking is prohibited within twenty-five feet (25') of any entrance, exit, operable window, ventilation intake, "or other means by which smoke may infiltrate" a space where smoking is already barred, so a doorway buffer applies citywide outside restaurants, offices, healthcare facilities and City buildings alike.

Section 8-18-7 narrows both rules with specific carve-outs: private residences, unless used for licensed childcare, adult care, healthcare or a home-based business open to the public, designated smoking rooms in hotels and motels, capped at twenty-five percent of rented rooms and only if contiguous by floor, pre-existing standalone retail tobacco stores, and private clubs or lodges. Section 8-18-8 lets any owner or operator go further and declare an entire outdoor area smoke-free voluntarily, and Section 8-18-14 lets that same person post signs making an outdoor common area officially off-limits to smoking under the chapter.

Enforcement runs through the City Manager's office under Section 8-18-10, which also lets any resident file a complaint to trigger it, and Section 8-18-13 requires posted no-smoking signage at every covered entrance and removal of ashtrays from prohibited areas.