Santa Cruz County, CA Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

Chapter 7.88 does not name cannabis directly, but its definitions section, SCCC § 7.88.040(N), defines "smoking" as inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying any lighted, heated or ignited cigar, cigarette, cigarillo, pipe, hookah, electronic smoking device, or any plant product intended for human inhalation. That last phrase reaches burning cannabis flower the same way it reaches a cigarette, so anywhere the chapter bans smoking, it bans smoking cannabis. Section 7.88.060 prohibits smoking in all enclosed public places in the County, and § 7.88.070 extends the ban outdoors to all parks, beaches, outdoor recreation areas and recreational trails, to outdoor dining areas, and to a reasonable distance, defined in § 7.88.040(J) as 25 feet, from any doorway, window or vent leading into a place where smoking is banned.

Property owners, employers and nonprofits that control a no-smoking area must post "No Smoking" or "Smoke Free" signage at each entrance under § 7.88.110, though the absence of a sign is not a defense to a citation. The County Health Officer or a designee enforces the chapter under § 7.88.120, and any member of the public can request a Health Officer investigation of a suspected violation; a court can also issue an injunction against a repeat violator. This local framework runs alongside, not instead of, the State's own statewide ban on cannabis consumption in a public place, so a person smoking cannabis in a Santa Cruz County park risks a citation under overlapping local and state rules.