Lee County, NC Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Lee County's Article III smoking ordinance, adopted November 16, 2015 and amended May 16, 2022, defines 'county government grounds' at Sec. 2-51 as the unenclosed area owned, leased or occupied by the county, expressly including county-owned areas around government buildings and county-owned parks and recreational areas, so the ban reaches outdoor space, not just interiors. Sec. 2-52 prohibits smoking and tobacco product use, defined to include e-cigarettes and vapor products, in any county government building, in any county-owned or leased vehicle, and on any county grounds.

The only carve-out is a smoking area the county manager may designate adjoining a government building for employees or visitors where smoking is otherwise permitted; no such carve-out exists for parks. Sec. 2-53 makes employees subject to personnel sanctions for violating the ban and exposes any employee or member of the public who violates Sec. 2-52 to a $50.00 civil penalty, with the article also enforceable through equitable remedies under G.S. 153A-123. Sec. 2-54 requires the county manager to post signage marking prohibited areas, and Sec.

2-55 preserves the rest of the article if any part is found preempted by state or federal law. Because the ordinance is grounded in the county's control over its own property, it governs Lee County government buildings, vehicles and grounds such as the county's parks and recreation areas; it does not reach privately owned restaurant patios or other private outdoor space in unincorporated Lee County, which fall outside this article's definitions.