Casper, WY Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Municipal Code Chapter 8.16, Smoking in Public Places
- Covers marijuana
- "Smoking" defined to include lighted weed or plant
- Buffer from doorways
- 10 feet from entrances, windows, vents
- Enforcement
- Casper Police Department; citation under W.S. § 7-2-103
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under Chapter 1.28
- Exempt spaces
- Private residences, hotel smoking rooms, licensed tobacco/vape shops
Summary
Casper's public-smoking ordinance folds marijuana into its citywide indoor ban. Chapter 8.16 defines "smoking" to include any lighted "weed" or "plant," and defines an "electronic smoking device" to include devices that vaporize cannabis, then bars smoking in nearly every enclosed public place, from restaurants to retail stores. Casper Police Department enforces the ban as a misdemeanor under Chapter 1.28, and smokers must stay ten feet from doorways.
"Smoke" or "smoking" means the inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying of any lighted tobacco product, weed, plant, nicotine, or other combustible product in a smoking instrument or the placement of smoking instruments containing a lighted tobacco product, weed, plant, nicotine, or other combustible product in an ashtray or other receptacle and allowing smoke or vapor to diffuse into the air. ... "Electronic smoking device" means any device that can be used to deliver aerosolized or vaporized nicotine, cannabis, hemp-derived substances, or other substances to the person inhaling from the device ... A.Smoking shall be prohibited in all enclosed areas of public places within the city of Casper including, but not limited to ... 12.Restaurants ... every person who is smoking shall smoke a distance of at least ten feet from all public entranceways, passageways, operable windows or ventilation systems of any enclosed area where smoking is prohibited. ... A.Violation of this chapter is unlawful, and a person who violates the provisions of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable pursuant to the penalty provisions of Chapter 1.28.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 8.16 of the Casper Municipal Code, rewritten in 2012 and last amended in 2026, treats marijuana smoke the same as tobacco smoke. Section 8.16.020 defines "smoking" to include the burning of any "weed" or "plant," not just tobacco, and separately defines an "electronic smoking device" as any vape pen or similar device that delivers aerosolized nicotine, cannabis, or hemp-derived substances. Section 8.16.040 then prohibits smoking, so defined, in the enclosed areas of public places across the city, including galleries, libraries, museums, banks, laundromats, hotels and motels, taverns and bars, health care facilities, and restaurants, along with retail stores, shopping malls, sports arenas and every city-owned building or vehicle.
Section 8.16.060 requires anyone smoking to stay at least ten feet from public entranceways, windows and ventilation systems of any place where smoking is barred, and Section 8.16.090 confirms smoking "shall include vaping and the use of any electronic smoking device." Casper Police Department officers enforce the chapter; Section 8.16.110 makes any violation a misdemeanor punishable under Chapter 1.28 of the code, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately, and authorizes officers to issue citations under Wyoming Statutes Section 7-2-103. Private residences, hotel smoking rooms, private offices and the enclosed area of a licensed tobacco or vape shop are exempt, but a marijuana cigarette or vape pen lit inside a Casper bar, restaurant or retail store falls squarely within the ban.
Violations & Fines
Smoking marijuana, including vaping cannabis oil, inside any enclosed public place covered by Section 8.16.040, such as a restaurant, bar, retail store or city building, is a misdemeanor under Chapter 1.28 of the Casper Municipal Code. Casper Police Department officers may issue a citation under Wyoming Statutes Section 7-2-103, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense. Smoking within ten feet of a covered building's entrance, window or vent is also a violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is smoking marijuana in a Casper park or on a sidewalk banned by this chapter?
Does vaping cannabis oil count the same as smoking a joint under this ordinance?
Who enforces the ban and what happens if I get caught?
Are there any places in Casper where smoking marijuana indoors is allowed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Casper
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