Local Smoking and Vaping Bylaws in British Columbia

British Columbia’s provincial law is a floor. The Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act and its regulation set a six-metre buffer around doorways, air intakes and open windows of public places and workplaces, and ban smoking and vaping indoors. Local governments are free to add to that, and many do. This page explains how the two layers fit together and compares three cities as of 27 October 2026. The provincial rules themselves (age 19, flavours, tax, quit help) are on the British Columbia provincial page.

Which rule applies when a city has its own bylaw?

The Province’s guidance says some communities ban smoking or vaping on hospitality patios, set buffer zones larger than six metres, or ban it in outdoor spaces such as beaches or playgrounds. Its rule of thumb is that you must follow the more restrictive bylaw. The example it gives is a hospitality patio: provincial law can allow smoking there, but if your municipality bans it by bylaw, the bylaw governs.

Where do cities get the power?

Prince George’s bylaw spells it out. It relies on section 8(3)(i) of the Community Charter, which lets a council regulate and prohibit in relation to public health. Because it is a public health bylaw, the City says it consulted the Medical Health Officer under the Public Health Bylaws Regulation (42/2004) and deposited a copy with the Minister of Health.

How do three B.C. cities compare?

	Doors and openings	Playgrounds and schools	Parks	Fine
Vancouver	Six metres (Health By-law)	Playgrounds covered by the park ban	All parks, beaches and seawalls	From $250 in parks
Penticton	7.5 metres	30 metres, schools and playgrounds	Not found in the sources we could read	$100
Prince George	Six metres	25 metres, playgrounds and sport facilities	Banned in open space areas	$100 to $2,000

Details, sources and the exact bylaw numbers sit on each city page: Vancouver’s Park Board Smoking Regulation Bylaw, Penticton’s Smoking Regulations Bylaw No. 2018-68 and Prince George’s Smoke and Vape Free Places Bylaw No. 8591, 2016.

Does the city bylaw cover vaping?

Usually, but check the wording. Prince George’s covers smoking and vaping by name. Vancouver’s Health By-law defines smoking to include all forms of e-smoking. Penticton’s fine schedule says “smoke or vape.”

Who enforces and how do you complain?

For the provincial Act, the Province says to contact an enforcement officer at your health authority, for instance if you are unsure whether premises count as enclosed. City bylaws are enforced by city staff. Prince George designates its Bylaw Enforcement Officers and the RCMP. Penticton takes complaints through Bylaw Services at 250-490-2440 or [email protected], and does not accept anonymous ones. Vancouver lets Park Rangers, City bylaw officers and Health Inspectors issue tickets.

What else is local?

Other B.C. bylaws exist beyond the three above, but we have only described those we could confirm in an official source. When you are in a smaller community, check the local government’s website or call city hall before assuming the provincial six metres is the only limit. Wider comparisons are in the bylaw hub.