Palm Springs, CA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Municipal Code § 6.10.081
- Scope
- All city parks, sidewalks, trails within parks
- Penalty class
- Infraction, § 6.10.140
- Airport rule
- Designated outdoor areas only, § 6.10.082
- Sign requirement
- 1-inch capital letters or no-smoking logo
- Enacted
- Ord. 1788, 2011
Summary
Palm Springs bans smoking outright in every city park under Municipal Code Section 6.10.081, no designated area exception. The ban sits inside a broader Chapter 6.10 scheme that also reaches airports, theaters, hospitals and workplaces, and any violation is an infraction under Section 6.10.140.
"Park"means all grounds, buildings, improvements, and areas dedicated to use by the public for park, recreation, or open space purposes and over which the city has acquired right of use for such purposes. The term "Park" includes sidewalks, trails, and pathways in or around park facilities, park strips, and other grounds of any park. ... Smoking ... is prohibited and is unlawful within any Park.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4923139; v14 updated 2026-06-24).
Full Breakdown
081, added by Ordinance 1788 in 2011, states flatly that smoking is prohibited and unlawful within any Park. 020 to include all grounds, buildings, improvements, and areas dedicated to public park, recreation, or open space purposes over which the city has acquired a right of use, expressly including sidewalks, trails, pathways, and park strips in or around park facilities, not just lawns and playgrounds. Smoking is defined as combustion of any cigar, cigarette, pipe or similar article using tobacco or any other combustible substance. 070).
082, a narrower exception that does not extend to city parks. 100(b). 130 allows a business or establishment, not an individual park user, to apply for a hearing-based exemption on a showing that compliance requires structural modification and noncompliance poses no danger, annoyance or discomfort; this exemption process does not apply to the flat park prohibition.
Violations & Fines
Violation of any provision of Chapter 6.10, including the park smoking ban, is an infraction under Section 6.10.140. Because Palm Springs park areas include sidewalks, trails and pathways in or around park facilities, the prohibition follows a park user beyond the lawn itself. Willfully mutilating or destroying a required no-smoking sign is separately unlawful under Section 6.10.100(b) and is likewise enforceable as an infraction under the chapter's general penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there any designated smoking area allowed in Palm Springs parks?
Does the park smoking ban cover park sidewalks and trails?
What is the penalty for smoking in a Palm Springs park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Springs
California rules heatmap·Compare Palm Springs to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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Outdoor Smoking Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle outdoor smoking restrictions.