All tobacco, vaping banned from this Wake County town’s property, or users risk a fine
Morrisville will now prohibit vaping and smoking tobacco from being used in town buildings and vehicles, becoming only the second Wake County town to go 100% tobacco free on town property.
Those who violate the new ordinance could face a $50 fine per offense.
This week, Morrisville council members voted unanimously to amend several town ordinances. The town already has a ban on smoking in town buildings and vehicles, but the ordinance didn’t include smoking tobacco and vaping, said Brandon Zuidema, the deputy town manager.
The ban means no tobacco is allowed in parks, government grounds, buildings, cars and recreation areas.
The council also approved allowing alcohol in parks at special events on a case-by-case basis and restricting commercial parking on all town-operated streets.
There are only a few towns in Wake County where tobacco use and smoking of any kind of forbidden in nearly all town-operated areas. Morrisville joins Rolesville and Fuquay-Varina as the three municipalities in the county with all restrictions on smoking, except for public places.
The town’s amendments are now similar to Wake County’s ordinance and North Carolina general statutes— which prohibits smoking in all enclosed areas of restaurants, bars and state buildings.
In November, Wake County expanded the definition of smoking to including vaping and tobacco use, and added restrictions to additional county-operated buildings and public places. Wake County forbids smoking of any kind in:
- County facilities and vehicles
- County grounds
- Public places like banks, bowling alleys, gaming centers, grocery stores, movie theaters
“The majority of (business) owners I think prohibit that by choice but now that choice doesn’t exist as an option in the county and in unincorporated areas,” Zuidema said.
Some council members questioned the changes to the ordinances, including how the restrictions will be enforced for government staff and for special events, like SpringFest on May 13.
Attendees at SpringFest, a town event on Town Hall Drive, will be on public and town-owned property. Zuidema said people will be able to smoke in parking lots and in the street, which the town does not typically control.
Because Morrisville does not have designated smoking areas, the council added a rule to restrict smokers 50 feet from all government building entrances. This would limit cigarette smoke or butts on property grounds.
“I don’t think I want to see folks standing out on the sidewalk either,” said Councilwoman Vicki Scroggins-Johnson. “I think it would be hard to have a designated area.”
Morrisville will have an education period to inform town staff, residents and visitors about the changes.
Where do other towns stand?
Morrisville’s neighboring towns have some 100% smoke-free restrictions on town property. In December,
- Apex: No tobacco or smoking in government buildings and vehicles
- Cary: No smoking in government buildings and vehicles
- Fuquay-Varina: No smoking or vaping in town buildings, properties or vehicles
- Holly Springs: No tobacco in government buildings and vehicles; no smoking in parks or recreation areas
- Raleigh: No smoking in government buildings
More ordinance amendments
To make the changes to the town’s ordinances on smoking, council members made a motion that included the amendments to 16 other ordinances.
The changes include:
- Alcohol will be allowed in parks on a case-by-case basis through the town’s special event process
- No political campaigning allowed in parks
- Organized groups must reserve a field for use of open park space
- Group demonstrations and picket lines will be handled by Morrisville Police; parades will be part of town’s event process
- Commercial vehicle parking will be restricted on NCDOT streets on case-by-case basis
- No commercial vehicle parking on any town streets
Morrisville staff will post the changes on the town’s website and will distribute changes through the town’s social media, homeowners associations, the police department and other avenues.
This story was originally published March 16, 2023 at 8:00 AM.