Pismo Beach, CA Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

Pismo Beach does not have a separate public cannabis ordinance in Chapter 8.14. It treats cannabis as one of the substances covered by its Smoking in Public Places chapter. Section 8.14.010 defines "smoke" or "smoking" as inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying any lighted or heated cigar, cigarette or pipe, or any other lighted or heated tobacco, cannabis or other plant product intended for inhalation, whether natural or synthetic, in any manner or in any form. The definition of "smoking" also takes in battery-powered or other electronic devices that create an aerosol or vapor, and it says "cannabis" has the meaning given in California Business and Professions Code Section 26001.

Because of that definition, every place in § 8.14.020 applies to cannabis. That includes open-air dining areas, recreational areas, service areas, public events such as farmers' markets, fairs and concerts, unenclosed places of employment, and sidewalks on Shell Beach Road, Five Cities Drive and streets in the Downtown Core Planning Area. Recreational areas, defined in § 8.14.010, include parks, piers, boardwalks, beaches, picnic areas and playgrounds. Twenty-five (25) feet is the buffer around dining, recreational and service areas, and entrances to health care facilities, licensed child or adult care facilities and senior centers carry a fifty (50) foot buffer.

The chapter does not address eating or drinking cannabis products, so this page is limited to smoking and vaping. Section 8.14.040(C) adds that the chapter cannot be read to permit smoking where other laws restrict it, and that punishment under it does not block other remedies or penalties provided by law.

Enforcement runs through the penalty section: an infraction, or an administrative violation under Chapter 1.24. Section 8.14.040(B) also lets a private citizen bring legal action to enforce the chapter.