Atlantic County, NJ Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered areas
- Parking lots, playgrounds, trails, buildings, exhibits, programs
- Exempt area
- Outdoor Greentree Golf Course grounds
- First offense fine
- $100 to $500 per violation
- Subsequent offense
- Up to $500 and/or 30 days in county jail
- Enforcing agency
- Atlantic County Park Rangers
Summary
Atlantic County bans smoking and tobacco use across its park system, including outdoor parking lots, playgrounds and trails, allowing it only in signed designated smoking areas under Code § 97-133.
Chapter 97 of the County Code entitled "Parks" is hereby amended to include a ban on smoking and the use of tobacco within the following areas of the Atlantic County Parks System: all parking lots, playgrounds, trails, buildings, both indoors and outdoors, exhibits and during all programs or festivals held on County Park property. ... The provisions of this article shall not apply to outdoor areas of the Atlantic County Greentree Golf Course. ... Violators of the provisions of this article shall be subject to a fine not less than $100 or up to $500 per violation for a first offense and up to $500 for violation and/or 30 days in the County jail for a subsequent offense pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:41A-101.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4863463; v25 updated 2026-04-21; through 04-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
Atlantic County Code § 97-133, added in 2013, amends the Parks chapter to ban smoking and tobacco use within the Atlantic County Parks System's parking lots, playgrounds, trails, and buildings, both indoors and outdoors, exhibits, and during all programs or festivals held on County Park property. Under § 97-134, smoking is permitted only in certain designated smoking areas set by the Division of County Parks, and those areas must be clearly marked with signage. Section 97-135 carves out one exception: the article does not apply to outdoor areas of the Atlantic County Greentree Golf Course, so golfers on the outdoor course grounds are not covered by the park-wide ban. The rule reaches every county park property, from Lake Lenape and Gaskill Park to Estell Manor Park and the Public Range, and covers festivals and organized programs held there, not just casual visits.
Violations & Fines
Under § 97-136, as amended in 2023, violators face a fine of not less than $100 and up to $500 per violation for a first offense, and up to $500 plus as much as 30 days in the county jail for a subsequent offense, citing N.J.S.A. 40:41A-101. Enforcement is brought by County Park Rangers, who file a complaint in the municipal court where the specific county park property is located, or in another court with jurisdiction as County Counsel recommends.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke anywhere in an Atlantic County park?
Is the Greentree Golf Course exempt from the smoking ban?
What is the fine for smoking in a banned area of an Atlantic County park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Atlantic County
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