Smoking and Vaping Rules in Penticton, B.C.

Penticton regulates smoking through Smoking Regulations Bylaw No. 2018-68. It adds longer distances than British Columbia’s provincial law, which sets a six-metre buffer around doors. Fines come from a separate document, the City’s Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw. This page uses both, as published on penticton.ca on 27 October 2026.

Where is smoking not allowed in Penticton?

The City’s bylaw enforcement page lists these places:

• a fully or substantially enclosed public place or workplace
• within 7.5 metres of a public place or workplace doorway, open window or air intake
• a transit shelter, or within 7.5 metres of a transit stop
• the common areas of apartment buildings
• on or within 30 metres of a children’s playground
• on or within 30 metres of any public or private elementary, middle or secondary school ground
• any public facility

The ticket bylaw also refers to public places and municipal open spaces listed in Schedule A of the smoking bylaw. We could not read that schedule, because the bylaw PDF on the City’s site is a scanned image with no text layer. If you plan to smoke in a specific park or beach, check Schedule A or ask Bylaw Services.

The rules cover both smoking and vaping: the fine schedule describes each offence as “smoke or vape.”

How much is the fine?

Schedule B20 of the Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw lists a $100 fine for each of these offences:

Offence	Fine
Smoke or vape in a public place or workplace	$100
Within 7.5 m of a doorway, open window or air intake	$100
At a transit shelter or within 7.5 m of a transit stop	$100
In the common area of an apartment building	$100
On or within 30 m of a school ground	$100
On or within 30 m of a children’s playground	$100
In any public facility	$100

The schedule has separate lines for public places on Schedule A, for removing a no-smoking sign and for improper signage; we did not find amounts for those lines that we could confirm.

How do you report smoking in Penticton?

Bylaw Services handles non-emergency complaints. The City lists three ways to reach it:

1. The online Report an Issue form on penticton.ca
2. Phone, 250-490-2440, daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
3. Email, bylaw@penticton.ca

The City states that anonymous complaints are not accepted. A bylaw intake administrator triages each complaint and assigns it to an investigating officer.

How it fits with provincial law

British Columbia’s Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act sets a six-metre buffer at doorways and bans smoking and vaping on all school property at all times. Penticton’s 7.5 metres at doors goes beyond that. The Province tells people to follow whichever bylaw is more restrictive. The wider context is on the British Columbia bylaw page and in BC’s provincial summary.

Two other BC cities take different approaches: Prince George uses a 25-metre buffer at sport facilities, and Vancouver bans smoking in its parks. More are on the bylaw hub.