Harrisburg, PA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 6-331, the Smoke-Free Air Law, was adopted by the City Council of the City of Harrisburg on 5-9-2006 as Ord. No. 8-2006. Its outdoor rules sit in § 6-331.4 and are narrower than many readers expect.

Subsection A bans smoking in any and all playgrounds and pools owned, leased or operated by the City. The definitions in § 6-331.2 matter here. A playground is an outdoor recreational area owned or operated by the City that contains equipment intended for use by children only, including the areas listed in Exhibit A, which the Director of Parks, Recreation and Enrichment can amend and which is kept on file in the office of the City Clerk. A playground inside a larger City park counts. A pool is any swimming facility owned or operated by the City. Smoking means inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying any lighted cigar, cigarette, pipe, or other lighted tobacco product.

Subsection B extends the ban to all outdoor areas within 15 feet of any playground or pool, and within 15 feet of any entrance to an enclosed area where smoking is prohibited. Indoors, § 6-331.3 prohibits smoking in all enclosed areas within buildings and vehicles owned, leased or operated by the City, with no exceptions. Ashtrays outside a building must be dispersed so smokers do not cluster in one small area.

Two carve-outs are printed in the code. Subsection C says the chapter does not prohibit smoking within any City-owned park except at playgrounds, and Subsection D says it does not prohibit smoking on public sidewalks except inside the 15-foot zone. Under § 6-331.7, any owner or person in control of an establishment, facility or outdoor area outside the chapter can declare it nonsmoking, and smoking is then prohibited wherever a conforming sign is posted. The Director of the Bureau of Codes Enforcement, the Director of Parks, Recreation and Enrichment and the Chief of Police enforce the chapter.