Greensboro restricts outdoor smoking in city-owned parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, and within entrances to municipal buildings. Statewide rules under NCGS 130A-491 ban smoking in restaurants and bars, while UNCG and NC A&T maintain campus-wide tobacco-free policies.
North Carolina banned smoking in nearly all enclosed restaurants and bars under NCGS 130A-491 in 2010. Greensboro extends restrictions to outdoor parks under Code Chapter 30, including playgrounds, athletic fields at city facilities, and around entrances to City Hall and recreation centers. Vaping is treated similarly in many city facilities. UNCG and NC A&T have adopted tobacco-free campuses covering all outdoor areas. Private businesses can voluntarily designate outdoor patios as smoke-free, and many downtown restaurants do.
Smoking in a posted no-smoking park area can result in a civil citation, while violating the state restaurant smoking ban is enforced by Guilford County Health Department with fines on the establishment.
See how Greensboro's outdoor smoking restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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