Smoke-Free Laws in North Carolina

Statewide Smoke-free and Tobacco-free Policies

North Carolina law prohibits smoking in:

  • Enclosed areas of almost all restaurants and bars
  • Enclosed areas of hotels, motels, and inns, if food and drink are prepared there (Effective 2010)
  • Buildings owned by the state
  • Buildings leased by the state as lessor (i.e., landlord), and the area of any building leased and occupied by the state as lessee (i.e., tenant)
  • Passenger-carrying vehicles owned, leased or otherwise controlled by the state must be smoke-free. This includes vehicles assigned permanently or temporarily to a state employee or state agency/institution for official state business. (Effective Jan. 1, 2009)
  • Public school (K-12) campuses and school-sponsored events
  • Long-term care facilities
  • State correctional facilities
  • Family Child Care Facilities (NC Child Care Commission Rule)
  • Nearly all restaurants and bars, and many lodging establishments

North Carolina law allows the following state and local venues to prohibit smoking and tobacco use:

  • UNC University System campuses (within 100 linear feet of the buildings)
  • Community college campuses and college-sponsored events

Read more about the current smoke-free policies in NC

 

Local Smoke-free and Tobacco-free Policies

The law allows local governments to prohibit smoking and all tobacco products in:

  • Buildings owned or leased by local government. This includes buildings where the local government is the lessor (i.e., landlord), as well as areas of buildings leased by local government as lessee (i.e., tenant)
  • Any place on a public transportation vehicle owned or leased by local government and used by the public
  • Passenger-carrying vehicles owned, leased or otherwise controlled by local government must be smoke free. This includes vehicles assigned permanently or temporarily to a local government employees, agencies, institutions or facilities for official local government business. (Effective Jan. 1, 2009)
  • Unenclosed areas owned, leased, or occupied by the local government (i.e. "grounds")
  • Enclosed areas to which the public is invited or in which the public is permitted (i.e., "public places")
  • Any enclosed elevator
  • Public meetings
  • Indoor arenas with seating capacity greater than 23,000
  • Libraries and museums open to the public

Learn more about the smoke-free laws in North Carolina

Explore smoke-free and tobacco-free maps and dashboards for North Carolina

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