Grand Junction, CO Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Grand Junction Municipal Code § 8.20.020 prohibits smoking in all public places and indoor areas in the City, and several of its provisions expressly reach outdoor space. Subsection (c)(1)(x) bans smoking at 'sports arenas whether enclosed or outdoors,' a category the section defines to include gymnasiums, swimming pools, roller and ice rinks, bowling alleys and similar venues. Subsection (e) creates a citywide buffer: no smoking may occur within 25 feet of the front or main doorway of any building or facility, regardless of whether the person is otherwise outdoors and off the property covered by the indoor ban.

Restaurants and bars get a narrow outdoor carve-out under subsection (c)(1)(vii): smoking is allowed on an uncovered patio or seating area that is not enclosed and not under a roof or roof projection, but only if the smoker stays at least 15 feet from the front or main doorway. A private club's outdoor areas are similarly smoking-permitted under subsection (c)(1)(xxi) unless otherwise restricted elsewhere in the section. The City also regulates enforcement in outdoor public spaces directly: subsection (g)(3) requires 'No Smoking' signage at public parks and other unenclosed public places to be visible from the primary entrance or posted at intervals of no more than 300 feet along the property boundary, confirming the ban's reach into park grounds.

Any owner or manager may go further and declare an entire outdoor property smoke-free under subsections (c)(2) and (f)(2). Violations are addressed at subsection (j): it is unlawful both for a person to smoke where prohibited and for a business or property manager to fail to enforce the section, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense.