Paulding County, GA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances § 46-31
- Default outdoor rule
- Smoking allowed unless signage posted
- Indoor rule
- Banned in all enclosed county-facility areas
- Scope
- County-owned, leased, or operated property only
- Enforcement
- Board of commissioners' designee, magistrate court
Summary
Paulding County allows smoking in outdoor areas of county-owned, leased, or operated property under Code of Ordinances Sec. 46-31, unless the county has posted a 'No Smoking' sign or the international no-smoking symbol at that spot. Indoor smoking is banned outright in every enclosed area of county facilities under state law.
(a)In accordance with O.C.G.A. § 31-12A-3, smoking shall be prohibited in all enclosed areas of county-owned, county-leased, or county-operated facilities. For the purposes of this section, the term "enclosed areas" means all spaces between a floor and ceiling that is enclosed on all sides by solid walls or windows, exclusive of doorways and open windows, which extend from the floor to the ceiling.(b)Unless otherwise posted as set forth in subsection (c), smoking is permissible in all outdoor areas of county-owned, county-leased, or county-operated facilities and real property.(c)Smoking is prohibited in all outdoor areas of county-owned, county-leased, or county-operated facilities and real property where a "No Smoking" sign or the international no smoking symbol consisting of a pictorial representation of a burning cigarette enclosed in a red circle with a red bar across has been posted.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35).
Full Breakdown
Sec. § 31-12A-3, for county government property. Subsection (a) bans smoking in any 'enclosed area' of a county-owned, county-leased, or county-operated facility, defining an enclosed area as any space between floor and ceiling that is walled or windowed on all sides, floor to ceiling, excluding doorways and open windows. Subsection (b) sets the default rule for the outdoors: unless the county has posted signage, smoking is permissible in outdoor areas of county-owned, leased, or operated facilities and real property, covering parks, plazas, walkways, and parking lots around county buildings.
Subsection (c) lets the county flip that default location by location: wherever a 'No Smoking' sign or the international no-smoking symbol, a burning cigarette inside a red circle with a bar through it, has been posted, outdoor smoking becomes prohibited at that specific spot. § 16-12-2. Sec. 46-32 assigns enforcement to the board of commissioners or its designee, who may issue citations, with jurisdiction resting in the county magistrate court and penalties set under the general Code penalty section, § 1-19. Because the ordinance only reaches county-owned, leased, or operated property, it does not regulate smoking on private property, sidewalks, or businesses elsewhere in the unincorporated county.
Violations & Fines
A citation for smoking where posted signage bans it comes from the board of commissioners or its designee under Sec. 46-32, with the case heard in county magistrate court and penalties set under Sec. 1-19 of the general Code. Smoking indoors in any enclosed area of a county facility is a violation regardless of signage, and it separately violates O.C.G.A. § 16-12-2, the state smoking statute.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke outside the county courthouse?
Does this ordinance cover private businesses in Paulding County?
What happens if I smoke inside a county building?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Paulding County
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