City of Dallas Updates Smoking Ordinance

The Dallas City Council approved an ordinance expanding the definition of “smoking” to include vaping, aligning vaping restrictions with existing smoking bans in public spaces.

This measure is a significant step toward improving air quality and safeguarding public health, particularly for vulnerable populations like children and older adults.

The ordinance prohibits vaping in areas where smoking is already banned, such as indoor spaces, within 15 feet of building entrances, and on park property. Vaping will no longer be allowed in public and enclosed spaces such as bars, workplaces, and other areas deemed no-smoking zones.

Businesses will have a year to update signage reflecting the new rules, with the ordinance taking full effect on Dec. 11, 2025.

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Claudia Carson-Habeeb

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Claudia Carson-Habeeb, managing editor of People Newspapers, got her start at The Baylor Lariat. Her debut publication, Falling Through the Spiral of My Notebook (1993), launched a career devoted to writing without margins. A former on-screen HGTV personality, she covers everything from hometown heroes to global design trends and curates a multigenerational family library that would make Borges proud. Happiest on horseback, she spends her spare time hoof picking with volunteers at her animal rescue nonprofit.