New Rochelle, NY Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 252, adopted January 21, 2025 by Ordinance No. 2025-17, defines SMOKING to include burning tobacco, cannabis or cannabinoid hemp as defined in § 3 of the New York State Cannabis Law, along with vapor from electronic smoking devices, refills, cartridges and any Electronic Nicotine Delivery System. Section 252-2A lists the banned locations: inside any building or structure owned or leased by the City, including main entrances; inside any City-owned, leased or rented vehicle; anywhere within the confines of public parks, beaches, pools, splashpads, playgrounds, trails, recreation centers, marinas and athletic facilities operated by the City, though sidewalks that merely adjoin but don't traverse those facilities are excluded; anywhere in a City-owned or operated parking garage; anywhere within a City-owned or operated pedestrian plaza; on any bus, shuttle, omnibus or coach within city limits; by a taxicab operator while carrying passengers; and anywhere in theaters, except for a performer as part of a theatrical production.

Indoor smoking outside those City-controlled spaces is instead governed by Article 13-E of the New York State Public Health Law, the Clean Indoor Air Act, per § 252-2B. Section 252-3 sets the penalty: a fine of not less than $100 per violation, which stands in place of any other penalty the Code would otherwise impose for the same conduct.