Texarkana, TX Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 10 feet from a smoke-free entrance
- Max fine
- $200 per violation
- Patio exemption
- OK beyond 10 ft of entrance
- Park rule
- No blanket outdoor/park smoking ban
Summary
Texarkana bans smoking within 10 feet of any building entrance where smoking is prohibited indoors, but doesn't restrict smoking in parks or open-air spaces beyond that buffer.
Smoking is prohibited within a reasonable distance of ten feet outside an enclosed area where smoking is prohibited so as to ensure that tobacco smoke does not enter the area through entrances, windows, ventilation systems or other means.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
Texarkana's smoke-free ordinance (ch. 28, art. II) targets enclosed public places and workplaces, not the outdoors generally. The one outdoor rule is a 10-foot buffer: smoking is barred within ten feet of any entrance, window or ventilation system of a building where smoking is already prohibited indoors, so secondhand smoke can't drift inside. Outdoor restaurant and bar patios are specifically carved out as smoking-legal once they sit more than ten feet from the establishment's public entrance. Parks and other open-air city property aren't separately regulated for smoking under this chapter.
Violations & Fines
Smoking inside the 10-foot buffer is an infraction punishable by a fine up to $200; each day of a continuing violation counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke in a Texarkana city park?
Are restaurant patios smoke-free in Texarkana?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Texarkana
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Texarkana to another location·View the Texas public conduct overview
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