Rockville Expands Smoke Free Rules to All City Property

Rockville’s Mayor and Council unanimously voted on Oct. 5 to expand the city’s smoke-free area rules to include all city property, city facilities and city parks.

At the Oct. 19th meeting, the elected leaders approved the letter notifying Montgomery County that Rockville will follow the county’s lead on smoke-free public areas.

Expanding Rockville’s smoke-free area rules means that areas such as the plaza in Rockville Town Square (a city-owned park) would be smoke-free. Privately-owned outdoor restaurant dining areas adjacent to Town Square and throughout Rockville would not be affected.

Officials said they are planning to educate the community about the change, which will take effect March 1, 2016. Officials said they will also install smoke-free signs at city parks and facilities.

Enforcement of the smoke-free area will be complaint-driven. Complaints may be directed to Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services, the agency tasked with monitoring the smoke-free area rules.

Rockville’s existing smoke-free rules include no smoking at several outdoor locations on city property, such as the:

• Outdoor complex at the Swim and Fitness Center.
• Dog park at Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park in King Farm and its nearby playing fields.
• Area within 50 feet of entrances to community centers and within 40 feet of playground equipment in city parks.

The Mayor and Council’s action followed a unanimous recommendation by the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board that all city parks and facilities be smoke-free.

Mayor&Council Follow @MontgomeryCoMD Lead on Smoke-Free Areas; City Parks, Facilities to Go Smoke-Free March 1 https://t.co/MY4TfndfJE #rkv

— City of Rockville (@Rockville411) October 20, 2015

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