Puyallup, WA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- PMC § 9.20.195
- Banned
- Smoking tobacco and vaping in any city park
- Enforcement
- Warning first, then a civil infraction/violation
- Classification
- Civil infraction, not a misdemeanor
- Added
- Smoking ban 2009 (Ord. 2948), vaping ban 2017 (Ord. 3141)
Summary
Puyallup prohibits smoking cigars, cigarettes, tobacco or any other lighted material, and vaping, anywhere in city parks, including shelters and structures. The city posts warning signs and issues a civil infraction rather than a misdemeanor.
It is unlawful for any person to smoke cigars, cigarettes, tobacco, or other material or to throw any lighted tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, matches, firecrackers, or other lighted material on or within any city park, including without limitation any shelters or other structures located in such parks; provided, a person may dispose of smoking materials in a receptacle designed for such purpose if such item is placed within a park. ... It is unlawful for any person to vape within any city park. "Vape" means consuming, inhaling or tasting of any kind of vapor product using any battery operated or electronic device. ... Failure to comply with this section shall constitute a civil infraction or a civil violation, subject to the procedures and penalties contained in Chapter 1.02 or 1.03 PMC, and, notwithstanding penalty provisions set forth in other provisions of this chapter, shall not be construed as a misdemeanor.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4985225; v6 updated 2026-07-21; through 07-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
195(1) makes it unlawful for any person to smoke cigars, cigarettes, tobacco, or other material, or to throw any lighted tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, matches, firecrackers, or other lighted material on or within any city park, including shelters or other structures located in the park; a smoker may dispose of smoking materials only in a receptacle designed for that purpose if placed within the park. Subsection (2) separately bans vaping within any city park, defining "vape" as consuming, inhaling or tasting any kind of vapor product using a battery-operated or electronic device.
Enforcement officers must make a good-faith effort to warn a person observed violating the section before issuing a violation notice, and the parks director must post signs in appropriate locations advising patrons of the rule. 005(9), covering named parks such as Pioneer Park, Bradley Lake Park and the Puyallup Riverwalk Trail. The rule was added to the park code by Ordinance 2948 in 2009 and the vaping provision was added by Ordinance 3141 in 2017.
Violations & Fines
PMC § 9.20.195(3) makes a violation a civil infraction or civil violation under the procedures and penalties of Chapter 1.02 or 1.03 PMC, and expressly states the violation is not to be construed as a misdemeanor, unlike most other Chapter 9.20 park offenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I vape at a Puyallup city park?
Will I be fined immediately for smoking in a Puyallup park?
Is smoking in a Puyallup park a criminal offense?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Puyallup
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Outdoor Smoking Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle outdoor smoking restrictions.