Forsyth County, GA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Section 54-22 of the Forsyth County Code, part of Chapter 54's Article III prohibited-activities list, draws the ban far wider than most local smoking ordinances. Subsection (a) prohibits vaping, smoking, chewing, dipping or otherwise using tobacco, tobacco products, or alternative nicotine products inside any enclosed building located in a park or recreation facility. Subsection (b) goes further and extends the same ban to the outdoor boundaries of any park, meaning a walking trail, athletic field, picnic shelter or lakeside area is just as off-limits for lighting up as the recreation center lobby.

The only carve-out is subsection (c), which clarifies that people may still possess tobacco or nicotine products on county park property, so the rule targets use and consumption, not carrying an unlit pack of cigarettes or a vape device. § 36-1-20 per section 54-5. Because the ban is countywide across every Forsyth County park, from neighborhood playgrounds to Fowler Park and Sawnee Mountain Preserve, there is no per-park exception list, and posted signage is not a prerequisite for enforcement, unlike some of the chapter's other restricted-activity sections.