Saint Paul, MN Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 222 of the Saint Paul Legislative Code, adopted by Ordinance 23-40 in September 2023, extends the city's smoke-free zones beyond bars and restaurants into parks and building perimeters. Sec. ' 'Smoking,' defined in Sec. 01(5), reaches beyond traditional cigarettes to cover 'inhaling, exhaling, vaping or combustion of any cigar, joint, blunt, cigarette, pipe or any other similar article,' as well as simply possessing or carrying a lit or heated product or electronic delivery device. 'Park,' under Sec. ' Sec. 03 carves out three exceptions: posted designated smoking areas within parks as set by the director of parks and recreation, use of tobacco as part of an American Indian cultural practice or a lawfully recognized religious, spiritual, or cultural ceremony, and posted designated smoking areas outside the 25-foot entrance buffer that a building owner establishes away from the entrance itself.

Enforcement, under Sec. 04, leads with education: violators are first asked to stop smoking and reminded of the rule, and only after a request for voluntary compliance can an authorized officer issue an administrative citation to the person who committed the violation.