Lawrence, KS Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Access point buffer
- 10-foot radius outside covered doorways
- Covered indoors
- Enclosed public places and workplaces
- Exempt
- Private residences, tobacco shops
- Hotel exception
- Up to 20% of rooms may allow smoking
- Enforcement
- Fire chief or designated agent
- First-offense fine
- Up to $100.00
Summary
In the City of Lawrence, smoking is illegal not just inside enclosed public places and workplaces but also in any "access point": the ten-foot radius outside a doorway, open window, or air intake of a non-exempt building. Lawrence City Code §§ 9-902 and 9-903 draw that outdoor buffer and the citywide indoor smoke-free rule together.
Access point means the area within a ten-foot radius outside of any doorway, open window or air intake leading into a building or facility that is not exempted from the application of the restrictions of this article by section 9-907, and amendments thereto. ... It shall be unlawful for a person to smoke in any access point, public meeting, or any enclosed public place, including, but not limited to, the following places:
Full Breakdown
Article IX of Chapter 9 defines an access point as the area within a ten-foot radius outside any doorway, open window, or air intake leading into a building that is not exempted under section 9-907. Section 9-903 then makes it unlawful to smoke in that access point, in any public meeting, or in an enclosed public place, listing restrooms, lobbies, retail stores, food service establishments and bars, galleries, libraries, sports arenas, health facility waiting rooms, apartment common areas, polling places, private clubs, and gaming floors as covered examples.
Section 9-904 separately bans smoking in any enclosed place of employment and requires every employer with an enclosed workplace in the city to adopt and post a written smoke-free policy. Section 9-907 carves out exceptions: private residences (unless used as a day care or health facility), no more than 20 percent of hotel/motel rooms, tobacco shops, and outdoor places of employment except at their access points. Owners and managers must post conspicuous "No Smoking" signs bearing the international symbol at every prohibited entrance under section 9-908, in lettering at least one inch high.
The fire chief or a designated agent enforces the article under section 9-910, including inspecting establishments already undergoing other mandated inspections alongside Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health and the planning and development services department.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of the smoking article, including lighting up at a covered access point, is an ordinance tobacco infraction under Lawrence City Code § 9-912: up to a $100.00 fine for a first violation, up to $200.00 for a second within one year, and up to $500.00 for a third or subsequent violation within that year. An owner or manager who knowingly allows smoking to occur in a covered area faces the same escalating fines, and each person allowed to smoke unlawfully counts as a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke right outside a Lawrence store's front door?
Are outdoor patios covered by the smoking ban?
Who enforces Lawrence's smoking ordinance?
What's the fine for smoking where it's banned?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lawrence
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