Washington County, MN Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Chapter III, Section 2 of Parks Ordinance #218 draws a 100-foot buffer around the county's highest-traffic recreation features: it is unlawful to use any form of tobacco or electronic cigarette product within 100 feet of any beach or playground, fishing pier, inside any park building or structure, and in locations as designated by the Director. The rule covers any form of tobacco, reaching cigarettes, cigars, pipes and smokeless products alike, and expressly extends to electronic cigarette products, so vaping is treated the same as combustible smoking rather than left as a workaround.

The 100-foot radius applies specifically to beaches, playgrounds and fishing piers, the areas where families and children congregate, while indoor park buildings and structures are off-limits to tobacco use entirely regardless of distance. Beyond those fixed locations, the Parks Director retains standing authority to designate additional tobacco-free zones anywhere in the park system, so the buffer is a floor rather than the complete list of restricted areas. 35, the same statutes underlying every other Chapter III restriction, and any violation, including a smoking violation, is prosecuted the same way as other park misdemeanors.