Madera County, CA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Outdoor buffer
- 25 feet from smoke-free areas
- Covers
- Vaping and cannabis, not just tobacco
- Enforced by
- Environmental health department
- First fine
- Up to $100
- Exempt
- Single-family residences, golf courses
Summary
Unincorporated Madera County bans smoking, vaping, and tobacco or nicotine use in outdoor public places, recreational areas, outdoor dining, and public events, plus a 25-foot buffer around any spot where smoking is already off-limits.
Smoking, tobacco, and nicotine use is prohibited in all unenclosed public places within the county, including, but not necessarily limited to, the following places: 1. Outdoor dining areas; 2. Recreational areas; 3. Service areas; 4. Places of employment; 5. Public event areas; and 6. Other public places. ... Smoking in all unenclosed areas shall be prohibited within twenty-five feet from any area in which smoking is prohibited under this chapter or by any other law.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 52).
Full Breakdown
Madera County Code §9.11.040(B) extends the county's smoking ban outdoors, prohibiting smoking, tobacco, and nicotine use, including vaping, in unenclosed outdoor dining areas, recreational areas, service areas, places of employment, and public event areas. Subsection (E) adds a 25-foot buffer: smoking is barred within 25 feet of any spot where it's already prohibited, though that buffer exempts unenclosed areas of private single-family residences not used as licensed day care. 'To smoke' is defined broadly to include cannabis and other plant products, so this outdoor ban layers on top of Chapter 18.87's separate marijuana consumption rule. Violators face fines starting at $100 for a first offense.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of the smoking ban draws a fine up to $100, a second within a year up to $200, and each additional violation within a year up to $500, enforced by the environmental health director.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke a cigarette at an outdoor county park in Madera County?
Does the smoking ban reach private yards?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Madera County
California rules heatmap·Compare Madera County to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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