Pittsburgh, PA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Covers
- All city parks, playgrounds and pools
- Includes
- E-cigarettes and vapor products
- Enforced by
- Parks and Recreation, park rangers
- Max fine
- $300 plus costs per offense
Summary
Pittsburgh bans smoking and all tobacco use, including vaping, in every city park, playground and pool under City Code § 473.05(h).
Smoking and Tobacco Usage. All park facilities, as that term is defined in Section 477.01(b)(2), and including but not limited to parks, playgrounds and pools in the City of Pittsburgh, are hereby designated as tobacco-free. This prohibition shall apply to the consumption of all tobacco products including smokeless tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, and/or any other tobacco substitute product that creates smoke or other vapors and regardless of whether it produces an odor of any kind.
(i) The Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation shall post appropriate signage designating smoke-free and tobacco-free areas and promulgate provisions for enforcement.
(j) The residents shall be notified, in writing, of this Ordinance.
(k) The Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation and his/her designated representatives, including but not limited to park rangers, are hereby authorized to enforce the provisions of this Article or any other provisions in the City of Pittsburgh Code pertaining to conduct in City parks, any regulations and policies issued thereunder and to issue citations for any violations thereof in accordance with City Code Section 101.09.
Full Breakdown
City Code § 473.05(h) designates every park facility in Pittsburgh, parks, playgrounds and pools, as tobacco-free, and the ban covers cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes and any other tobacco substitute that produces smoke or vapor, whether or not it has an odor. The Department of Parks and Recreation must post smoke-free/tobacco-free signage, and park rangers and department representatives are authorized to issue citations for violations under City Code § 101.09. This is a park-specific rule; it does not by itself ban smoking on a restaurant patio or public sidewalk outside a park, which fall under the separate enclosed-places smoking chapter.
Violations & Fines
General code penalty applies: up to $300 plus costs per offense (City Code § 101.09), with each day of continuing violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I vape in a Pittsburgh city park?
Does this ban apply outside city parks, like a sidewalk patio?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pittsburgh
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