San Diego County, CA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- County parks
- Smoking/vaping banned outright, no exceptions
- Dining-area buffer
- 25 ft from outdoor dining perimeter
- Food truck buffer
- 40 ft from mobile food facilities
- Signage
- "No Smoking" signs required at entrances
- Park rule effective
- Added 2014, amended 2023
Summary
Smoking or vaping is banned outright in every County park, wherever it sits, and separately prohibited within 25 feet of outdoor restaurant dining areas in unincorporated San Diego County.
It shall be unlawful for any person in a County park to carry a lighted pipe, cigar, or cigarette; to use an electronic smoking device or other smoking device, containing tobacco or any other substance; or to light, smoke, activate, or in any way use a pipe, cigar, cigarette, or electronic smoking device or other smoking device, containing tobacco or any other substance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-141: Administrative: Current through Ord. No. 11007 (N.S.), effective 7-10-26 | Regulatory: Current through Ord. No. 11008 (N.S.), effective 7-24-26).
Full Breakdown
County Code § 41.118.5 makes it unlawful for anyone in a County park to carry a lighted pipe, cigar, or cigarette, or to use an electronic smoking device containing tobacco or any other substance: a total ban with no designated-smoking-area exception, added in 2014 and last amended in 2023. Separately, § 32.873 bars smoking inside outdoor dining areas of permitted food facilities and within 25 feet of their perimeter (40 feet for food trucks and carts) in the unincorporated county, and requires operators to post 'No Smoking' signage. The dining-area rule does not apply to hookah lounges whose principal business is on-site shisha smoking.
Violations & Fines
Smoking in a County park violates § 41.118.5; smoking near outdoor dining is an infraction under § 11.116, enforceable by citation from County officers or park rangers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke in a San Diego County park?
How close can I smoke to a restaurant patio in unincorporated San Diego County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Diego County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Diego County to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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