Calaveras County, CA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered buildings
- County-owned or leased buildings only
- Outdoor buffer
- 20 feet from entrance/exit/window
- Vehicles
- County-owned or leased vehicles banned
- Exemptions
- Board of supervisors may exempt by resolution
- Penalty scheme
- General Chapter 1.24 penalties do not apply
Summary
Calaveras County bans smoking inside any building or vehicle the county owns or leases, and within twenty feet of a public building's main entrance, exit or operable window. The rule covers only county property, so private patios, restaurants and open-air parks are not restricted by this chapter.
All persons are prohibited from smoking in buildings owned by or leased to the county, or in an outdoor area within twenty feet of a main exit, entrance, or operable window of a public building except areas exempted by resolution of the board of supervisors.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 8.05 of the county code, adopted by Ordinance No. 2786 in 2004 amending Ordinance No. 2303 from 1993, prohibits smoking in two settings: any building owned by or leased to Calaveras County, and any county-owned or county-leased vehicle (Sections 8.05.010, 8.05.020). The building prohibition extends outdoors, covering any area within twenty feet of a main exit, entrance or operable window of a public building, unless the board of supervisors exempts a specific area by resolution.
Section 8.05.030 defines a "building" as an enclosed structure used for human occupation, including office buildings, shops, garages and barns, and defines "owned by or leased to the county" to exclude county buildings that are leased out to others, except for the space the county leases to others in the administration building at the county airport. "Smoking" is defined broadly to include simply possessing a lit cigar, cigarette or pipe, not just actively inhaling.
Because the ordinance is written around county-controlled buildings and vehicles, it does not reach private business patios, restaurants, sidewalks away from a county building, or open-air county parks that are not themselves enclosed buildings. Notably, Section 8.05.040 states that Chapter 1.24, the county's general penalty chapter, does not apply to a violation of Chapter 8.05, meaning this smoking rule stands apart from the standard citation and fine schedule used elsewhere in the code.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 8.05 expressly opts out of Chapter 1.24, the county's general penalty provision, under Section 8.05.040, so violations of the smoking ban are not enforced through the standard infraction or misdemeanor fine schedule that governs most other county code chapters; enforcement instead falls to county facility management and any resolution the board of supervisors adopts to exempt or govern specific outdoor smoking areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke outside a county building in Calaveras County?
Does the smoking ban cover county parks or private businesses?
What is the penalty for smoking in a county building?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Calaveras County
California rules heatmap·Compare Calaveras County to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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