Lafayette, LA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Section 42-2(e) of the Smokefree Air ordinance prohibits smoking by an employee, invitee, or other person within a reasonable distance of 25 feet outside any entrance to an enclosed area where smoking is already banned and that entrance is open to the general public, so that smoke or vapor cannot migrate indoors through doors, windows, or ventilation systems; for expanded-service restaurants, bars, and alcoholic beverage establishments, that buffer is narrowed to five feet. Separately, the ordinance bans smoking in and within 25 feet of outdoor playgrounds, bleachers and grandstands used by spectators at sporting or public events, and any dugout, football, softball, baseball, or soccer field or its concession stand.

A person who merely passes near such an area without being an employee, invitee, or person associated with the business is not in violation. The prohibitions sit inside a broader indoor smoking ban covering public places and places of employment across the city and the unincorporated parish (Section 42-2(c), (d)), enforced under Section 42-2(j) by a designated enforcement officer within the city and by that officer or any law enforcement officer with jurisdiction in unincorporated parish areas. Every regulated location must post 'No Smoking including Electronic Cigarettes' signage under Section 42-2(h), and ashtrays must be removed from areas where smoking is prohibited. Hookah and tobacco shops, hotel guest rooms, and private residences are exempt under Section 42-2(f).