Multnomah County, OR Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 20 feet from entrances/exits
- Applies to
- Hospital outdoor public areas only
- Signage required
- International no-smoking symbol
- Designated smoking areas
- Allowed if 20+ feet away
Summary
Multnomah County requires hospitals to ban smoking within 20 feet of building entrances, exits, air intake vents and operable windows in outdoor public areas: the county code's only outdoor smoking mandate, and it targets hospital grounds, not parks or restaurant patios generally.
Hospitals are required to adopt policies prohibiting smoking in outdoor public areas. These policies must meet the following minimum guidelines:
(1) Prohibits smoking within at least 20 feet of building entrances and exits, air intake vents, and windows that are capable of opening to the outside
(2) Requires posting of signs that include the international no smoking symbol and the words “no smoking” in outdoor public areas where smoking is prohibited.
(S-1 2023)
(3) Includes a formal mechanism for the hospital to enforce the policy.
(B) Hospitals may adopt policies allowing smoking in designated outdoor smoking areas as long as they are at least 20 feet away from building entrances and exits, air intake vents, and windows that are capable of opening to the outside. (Ord. 1051, Add, 10/21/2004)
Full Breakdown
Multnomah County Code § 21.520 makes hospitals adopt a policy prohibiting smoking in outdoor public areas such as sidewalks, walkways, seating areas and courtyards next to hospital buildings, with a 20-foot buffer from entrances, exits, air intake vents and windows that open. Hospitals must post international no-smoking signage and have a formal enforcement mechanism, though they may carve out a designated outdoor smoking area if it stays outside that 20-foot buffer. This is the county's only standalone outdoor smoking ordinance: unincorporated county parks and outdoor dining patios have no comparable local ban, and Portland (which contains most of the county's population) enforces its own separate code.
Violations & Fines
Hospitals that fail to adopt or post a compliant no-smoking policy are subject to enforcement by the Multnomah County Health Department under its administrative rules for this subchapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Multnomah County ban smoking in parks?
How far from a hospital entrance must smokers stay?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Multnomah County
Compare Multnomah County to another location·View the Oregon public conduct overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.