San Clemente, CA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Beaches
- Banned citywide, exceptions by Council resolution only
- Parks/open space
- Banned, no exception, §§ 8.64.180, 8.64.190
- Trails
- Banned, § 8.64.170
- Named canyons
- 7 coastal + 7 inland canyons banned
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 or 6 months jail
Summary
San Clemente bans smoking on every public beach, beach access point, park, coastal or inland canyon, public trail, and designated open-space area in the City, under Municipal Code Sections 8.64.140, 8.64.170, 8.64.180, and 8.64.190. The City Council can carve out designated smoking areas at the beach by resolution, but no other outdoor zone has that exception.
No person shall smoke within the boundaries of any public beach, including public walkways and beach access points, such as stairs to the beach, and strands adjoining beach areas, or the municipal pier, or parking lots adjacent to or with direct access to any public beach, except in certain outdoor locations and patio areas, if any, that the City Council specifically designates by resolution as temporary or permanent smoking areas. ... No person shall smoke in any public parks, or parking lots adjacent to or with direct access to any public park, in the City, whether such public parks are in existence as of the date this section is added to the code or are later established or created. ... No person shall smoke in any lands in the City for which Title 17, Zoning, the General Plan, or a specific plan designates as public or private open space, whether such designations are in existence as of the date this section is added to the code or are later established or created.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Traffic: Supplement 30 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
64's outdoor smoking bans stack several separate sections rather than one blanket rule. 140 prohibits smoking within the boundaries of any public beach, including public walkways and beach access points such as stairs to the beach, strands adjoining beach areas, the municipal pier, and parking lots adjacent to or with direct access to any public beach, though the City Council can designate temporary or permanent smoking areas there by resolution. 190 reaches any land the City's Title 17 zoning code, General Plan, or a specific plan designates as public or private open space.
170 separately bans smoking on public trails and their access points. 160 bans it in seven inland canyons, including Cascadita and Verde Canyons. None of the park, canyon, trail, or open-space sections includes a designated-area exception the way the beach section does, so smoking is barred there without exception. 100, but the outdoor beach, park, canyon, trail, and open-space provisions apply by their own terms regardless of signage.
Violations & Fines
Smoking in a prohibited outdoor area is enforced as a misdemeanor under the City's general penalty in Section 1.16.010, punishable by a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both, unless the violation is charged as an infraction. As an infraction, the fine escalates from $100 for a first offense to $200 for a second offense of the same rule within a year and $500 for each further repeat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke on the beach in San Clemente?
Is smoking allowed in city parks or open space?
Are there specific canyons in San Clemente where smoking is banned?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Clemente
California rules heatmap·Compare San Clemente to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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