Sandy Springs, GA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned locations
- All city parks operated by recreation and parks dept.
- Covered products
- Cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, roll-your-own, smokeless tobacco
- Enacted
- Ord. No. 2014-06-13, June 3, 2014
- Maximum fine
- $1,000 under Sec. 1-10
- Max jail term
- 6 months or 30 days confinement at labor
- Governing section
- City Code Sec. 42-43
Summary
Smoking and using any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, is illegal in every city park in Sandy Springs. City Code Sec. 42-43 bans lighting a cigarette, cigar, vape or dip anywhere within park boundaries, with no separate area carved out for smokers. The rule replaced a narrower 2007 ordinance that only addressed underage smoking.
It is unlawful for any person to smoke any substance in a city park. It shall further be unlawful for any person to use any form of tobacco product in a city park. As used in this section, the term "tobacco product" means any product made or derived from tobacco that is intended for human use, including any component, part, or accessory of a tobacco product. This includes, among other products, cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, e-cigarettes, cigars, roll-your-own tobacco, and smokeless tobacco.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 24 | Development Code: Supplement 2 | Technical Manuals: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
" The code defines "tobacco product" broadly as "any product made or derived from tobacco that is intended for human use, including any component, part, or accessory of a tobacco product," expressly naming cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, e-cigarettes, cigars, roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco. Because the ban covers both smoking and tobacco use as separate prohibited acts, vaping and chewing tobacco are barred the same as lighting a cigarette; there is no exception for outdoor picnic areas, trails, athletic fields or parking lots within a park's boundaries.
The current version of Sec. 42-43 was enacted by Ord. No. 2014-06-13 on June 3, 2014, which repealed and replaced a 2007-era provision (Ord. No. 2007-02-16) that had addressed only underage smoking. The parks chapter sits alongside other park-conduct rules in Chapter 42, including bans on alcohol (Sec. 42-38) and open fires outside designated grills (Sec. 42-42). The ordinance applies citywide to every park operated by the city's recreation and parks department; it does not extend to sidewalks, streets or private property outside a park's boundary, so a smoker on a public sidewalk adjacent to a park is not covered by this section.
Violations & Fines
Violating Sec. 42-43 is a Code violation punishable under the citywide penalty in Sec. 1-10: a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, up to 30 days of confinement at labor, or a combination. Recreation and parks department staff and Sandy Springs Police Department officers can cite smokers on the spot; each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I vape in a Sandy Springs park?
Does the ban apply to sidewalks outside a park?
What happens if I'm caught smoking in a park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sandy Springs
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Outdoor Smoking Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Fulton County handle outdoor smoking restrictions.