Onslow County, NC Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Section 12-26 of the Onslow County Code of Ordinances states that no person shall smoke, use vapes, or use any type of tobacco product in any structure or place in a park where smoking is prohibited, and that smoking, vaping, or tobacco use may be forbidden by the parks and recreation department or its authorized agent in any part of any park when the department deems the hazard makes the restriction advisable. The section closes by directing that smoking, vaping, and tobacco products 'shall only be allowed in properly designated park areas,' which functions as a default ban outside of any area the department has marked off for that purpose.

The rule sits in Chapter 12, Article I of the code, the same article that governs fires and lighted materials: Section 12-25 separately requires that any fire in a park be confined to designated locations, supervised continuously by someone over 16, and that no one may discard a lit match, cigarette, cigar, or other burning object without first fully extinguishing it, underscoring that the smoking restriction is tied to the county's broader fire-hazard management of its parklands. Under Section 12-3, the parks regulations, including the smoking rule, apply within and upon every park, site, and recreational area under the parks and recreation department's jurisdiction, and under Section 12-2 they are enforced in addition to state vehicle and traffic laws already in force in the parks.

The ordinance derives from an ordinance adopted May 15, 2006, and amended April 5, 2021, when the vaping language was added to the older smoking-only rule.