Pasadena, CA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Pasadena's Tobacco Use Prevention Ordinance, Chapter 8.78, extends its indoor smoking ban into named outdoor spaces at Section 8.78.071. The list covers outdoor areas of shopping malls, unenclosed areas of bars and restaurants, service waiting lines such as bus stops, ATM lines and ticket lines (or within 20 feet of one), outdoor public gathering events, parades and fairs, and the grounds, including patios, stairways, walkways and parking lots, of all nine Pasadena Public Library branches. Section 8.78.072 adds a general 20-foot buffer: smoking in any unenclosed area is barred within 20 feet of a doorway, window, opening or vent leading into any enclosed space where smoking is already prohibited, unless the smoker is actively passing through on the way elsewhere. Tobacco stores and private smokers' lounges within 20 feet of such an opening must keep their doors and windows closed while anyone inside is smoking.

Separately, Section 8.78.051 bars possessing a burning cigar, cigarette or marijuana cigarette, chewing tobacco, or disposing of butts, on any city-operated park, playground, community center or recreation center; the Brookside Golf Course is exempt from the general park rule but not from the cannabis prohibition, and the Brookside Clubhouse patio and the walkway to the Starters Shop are smoke-free outright. 'Smoking' is defined broadly in Section 8.78.040 to include vaping and any lit or heated tobacco, plant or cannabis product. Every facility subject to a ban must post 'No Smoking' signage under Section 8.78.080.