Ontario Smoking Laws and Municipal Bylaws
Key takeaways
The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 bans smoking and vaping in enclosed workplaces and public places, on patios, near schools and playgrounds, and in vehicles with anyone 15 or younger. Fines run to $1,000 for a first offence and $5,000 after that. Cities such as Toronto add their own limits for parks and building entrances.
Ontario’s main law on this is the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017. The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 handles the housing side. Municipalities can add to both.
Banned places under provincial law
- Indoors. Enclosed workplaces (even when closed) and enclosed public places.
- Patios. Bar and restaurant patios and public areas within 9 metres of them.
- Schools. Indoor space, grounds and public areas within 20 metres of the grounds.
- Playgrounds and sports areas. Children’s playgrounds and publicly owned sports areas, plus public areas within 20 metres. Golf courses are excluded.
- Hospitals and health facilities. Within 9 metres of entrances and exits.
- Child care. The whole premises of child care centres and early years programs.
- Shelters. Outdoor areas with more than two walls and a roof, such as bus shelters, when people are invited to use them.
- Multi-unit housing. Shared indoor areas like hallways, elevators and parking garages.
- Vehicles. Any vehicle with someone 15 or younger inside.
Vaping is treated the same as smoking in these places. Convictions carry $1,000 for a first offence and $5,000 for any further offence.
Sales rules
Nobody can sell or supply tobacco or vapour products to anyone younger than 19. Products must be hidden from view until purchased and cannot be promoted in stores. Flavoured vapour products can only be sold in specialty vape stores or licensed cannabis stores, with menthol, mint and tobacco flavours excepted.
Where municipal bylaws come in
Toronto bans smoking and vaping within 20 metres of listed park amenities since March 2026, and bans smoking within 9 metres of public building entrances under a separate chapter. See the Toronto page. We could not read Ottawa’s by-law text, so Ottawa’s page sticks to the provincial rules that apply there.
For tenants, the smoke-free housing guide goes deeper. The Ontario summary adds tax and quit help, and the bylaw hub lists other cities.
Legal information only, not legal advice. Laws and bylaws change; confirm the current text in the official source before you rely on it. Read the full disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Smoke-Free Ontario Act ban?
Smoking and vaping in enclosed workplaces and public places, on bar and restaurant patios, on school grounds, in children's playgrounds and publicly owned sports areas, at hospital entrances, in shared indoor areas of multi-unit housing, and in vehicles carrying anyone 15 or younger.
Can I smoke in my own apartment in Ontario?
The province's page says private units are generally allowed unless a lease or condo bylaw says otherwise. A landlord can apply to evict a tenant whose smoking interferes with others' reasonable enjoyment.
What is the fine?
A conviction brings up to $1,000 for a first offence and $5,000 for any further offence.
Sources
- Where you can't smoke or vape in Ontario — Government of Ontario. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Rules for selling tobacco and vapour products — Government of Ontario. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Parks (Bylaw enforcement) — City of Toronto. Accessed October 27, 2026.