What Raleigh’s new smoking ban means for vaping indoors
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- Raleigh’s ordinance prohibits vaping and e-cigarettes in public enclosed places.
- Managers of public places must post signs, remove ashtrays, warn violators.
- Ordinance effective April 20, 2026.
Raleigh’s smoking ban now applies to vaping and e-cigarettes and is one of the most restrictive ordinances allowed under state law.
The new rules expand where smoking and e-cigarettes are prohibited, ending exceptions like some areas of bowling alleys, where smoking was allowed.
In North Carolina, local governments can prohibit smoking in:
- Local government buildings and grounds
- Local government vehicles
- Public places, which state law defines as enclosed areas where the public is invited or permitted like a grocery store or workplace lobby.
Smoking is still allowed in private clubs, some tobacco shops and cigar bars and smoking rooms in hotels.
Secondhand smoke causes immediate damage to the lungs and cardiovascular system and increases a person’s risk of stroke by 20% to 30%, said Emma Kate Burns, the director of North Carolina Government Relations for the American Heart Association, which sought the city’s changes.
“And while secondhand aerosol, which comes from e-cigarettes, is new and emerging in terms of the science, we know that the secondhand aerosol contains heavy metals, fine particles, and that can worsen heart and lung disease,” she said.
The ordinance also requires Raleigh and “all managers of public places” to post signs and remove ashtrays and smoking receptacles where smoking and vaping are prohibited. The rules also say the person in charge of the public place must tell someone who is smoking or vaping to stop if it’s in a prohibited area, and to contact police if the person doesn’t stop.
If someone refuses to stop smoking or vaping after being warned by the manager of the public place, the person could be fined $50.
Managers of public places could also face penalties for not enforcing the city’s rules. The first two violations will lead to written notices, while three or more infractions could in a $200 penalty per day.
Raleigh leaders unanimously approved the ordinance Jan. 20. It takes effect April 20.
The American Heart Association sought this change in Raleigh partly because it’s the capital city, and “an influential player in the municipal sense,” Burns said. Similar efforts are underway in Charlotte and could begin soon in Durham.
