Washoe County, NV Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Default rule
- No smoking or vaping in any park
- Exception
- Only in director-designated smoking areas
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 1687, eff. 6-3-22
- Related fire authority
- WCC 95.250 (weather-based restrictions)
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine / 6 months jail (WCC 125.050)
Summary
Smoking and vaping are banned in every Washoe County park and open space under WCC 95.350 unless the parks director has posted a designated smoking area, making it one of the more absolute conduct rules in the parks chapter.
No person may smoke or vape in a county park or open space. The director is empowered to designate specific smoking areas.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
350, enacted with the rest of the parks and recreation chapter by Ord. No. 1687 in 2022, states the rule in two sentences: no person may smoke or vape in a county park or open space, and the director is empowered to designate specific smoking areas. 340, which only restricts drinking in areas the director has posted as nonalcoholic, the smoking and vaping ban runs the other direction: the default across every county park and open space is no smoking or vaping at all, and it takes an affirmative designation from the director to carve out an exception.
350 ban. 300 makes it unlawful to disturb the peace with loud noise, fighting words or obscene language. Together, these place the smoking and vaping ban inside a broader visitor-conduct scheme enforced by the parks department, and the ban applies countywide to every park and open space the department manages, not just to buildings or enclosed facilities.
Violations & Fines
Smoking or vaping outside a director-designated area violates WCC 95.350 and, like other parks-chapter offenses, is punishable under the Code's general penalty at WCC 125.050: a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in the county jail, or both. An enforcement official may direct a violator to stop and to leave the park; refusing that order is treated as trespassing under WCC 95.300.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I vape in a Washoe County park?
Are there any designated smoking areas in county parks?
What's the penalty for smoking in a Washoe County park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washoe County
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