The Arlington City Council approved changes Tuesday, May 9, designed to create a more comprehensive citywide smoke-free ordinance.
Arlington will now prohibit smoking at bars, billiard halls, sexually oriented businesses, bowling centers and other private work places where smoking had been allowed under an exemption in the current ordinance. As a compromise, the City Council reduced the smoke-free area around the primary entrances of these specific types of businesses to 15 feet, which is less than the 50-foot setback required around exterior entrances and windows at other smoke-free establishments.
Click the link below to read the ordinance.
2017 Smoking Ordinance Revision
These revisions were discussed and reviewed by the City Council over a series of public meetings held from January 24 to May 9. Public comment was also received at Council meetings on March 28, April 11, April 25 and May 9. These revisions were also presented to the Arlington Chamber of Commerce in March and shared with members through the Chamber's newsletter.
Arlington's Smoking Ordinance, first adopted in 1985, already prohibits smoking in most public places and places of employment, such as restaurants, retail shops, schools and hospitals.
In subsequent revisions, the City banned smoking within 50 feet of exterior doors and windows of smoke-free establishments to protect the air quality inside. The ordinance was also amended to ban smoking within 50 feet of public park amenities, including public restrooms, playgrounds, fenced areas around public swimming pools, dugouts, and bleachers provided for spectators at outdoor athletics events.
With the Council's latest revision, Arlington will join a growing list of North Texas cities to be known as a "100% Smoke-Free City." Other smoke-free cities include Dallas, Denton, Frisco, and Plano. This designation was established by the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Some Arlington businesses are already moving in this direction. The Texas Rangers and The Cordish Companies have announced that the new retractable roof ballpark, set to open in 2020, and the Texas Live! entertainment complex, set to open next year, will both be smoke free.
What to know: Smoking Ordinance Revision
The updated ordinance will prohibit smoking at:
- Bars
- Billiard halls
- Sexually oriented businesses
- Bowling centers
- Work places where smoking had been allowed under a previous exemption
Smoking will also be prohibited within 15 feet of the primary entrance to these specific businesses.
When will this go into effect?
The newly revised ordinance will go into effect 10 days after publication in the local newspaper. However, enforcement for newly established non-smoking locations will not occur for 60 days in order to allow these existing businesses enough time to create appropriate signage and notification to their customers.
What are the penalties?
Upon conviction of an offense under the ordinance, first-time offenders could face a fine ranging from $25 to $200 dollars. For persons with one previous conviction, the fine range will be between $50 to $500 and those with multiple previous convictions could face a fine between $100 to $2,000.
The ordinance does not ban smoking at:
- A smokers' lounge attached to retail tobacco stores that meets established ventilation requirements
- A stand-alone tobacco shop that doesn't allow in persons or employ persons under the age of 18 and meets established ventilation requirements
- Specifically defined private clubs with 501 tax-exempt status
- Outdoor areas exceeding the 50-foot setback outlined in the ordinance
- Bingo halls
Electronic cigarettes are not regulated by the newly revised ordinance.
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