Rohnert Park, CA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 8.32's unenclosed-area rules in § 8.32.050(B) reach well beyond indoor spaces. Recreational areas, defined in § 8.32.030(R) to include parks, playgrounds, sports fields, walking paths, swimming pools and skate parks, are flatly listed as no-smoking zones under § 8.32.050(B)(7). Restaurant patios and other food-service areas are covered too: § 8.32.050(B)(8) bans smoking in any business or place of employment in which food is being consumed or where setup, service, and cleanup functions are occurring, including outdoor dining areas, farmers markets, concerts and fairs. Public places generally are banned during any public event such as a parade, festival or farmers' market under § 8.32.050(B)(9), and city-owned property is off-limits to smoking except on streets, alleys and sidewalks being used as ordinary through-routes, per § 8.32.050(B)(5).

On top of the area-by-area list, § 8.32.050(C) adds a buffer requirement: smoking is prohibited within twenty-five feet of any entrance, doorway, window, opening, crack or vent leading into any enclosed or unenclosed area where smoking is already banned, unless the smoker is only passing through. A limited set of carve-outs survive in § 8.32.060, including private automobiles, private residences (unless a stricter rule applies, such as a licensed day care), and public streets and sidewalks used only as through-routes. Multi-unit housing common areas can host a designated smoking spot only if it sits at least twenty-five feet from any prohibited area, has a marked perimeter and posted signs. Any property owner may also go further than the code requires and declare their own space smoke-free under § 8.32.050(D).