Smoking and Vaping Rules in Red Deer, Alberta

Red Deer has one bylaw for this: Bylaw No. 3345/2005, the Smoke Free Bylaw. It took effect on 1 June 2006 and has been amended several times, most recently in 2018, when the City added rules on cannabis. The version described here is the consolidated text with amendment 3345/A-2018, read on 27 October 2026.

What does the Red Deer bylaw ban?

Section 5.3 prohibits smoking tobacco or any other weed or substance within 10 metres of:

• a playground
• a seasonal skating rink, which includes public lakes and ponds where people skate
• a skate park
• a sports field, such as soccer fields, baseball diamonds and tennis courts (golf courses are excluded)
• a water spray park
• a toboggan hill

Section 5 also bans smoking in any indoor place the public is invited to, and in a list of other places: bingo halls, casinos, drinking establishments, grandstands, outdoor public events, patios, private clubs, public buildings, public transportation vehicles, restaurants, sidewalk cafes and workplaces. Bus shelters count as public buildings.

An outdoor public event is an outdoor market, festival, concert or parade that needs a City special event or use of streets permit. Red Deer’s bylaw is not a blanket park ban, since a lawn away from the facilities above is outside the 10-metre zones.

Private living accommodation, including an occupied hotel or motel room, is exempt from the places list. The bylaw also protects traditional spiritual practices and ceremonies.

Does it cover vaping?

Yes. The definition of smoking includes a hookah pipe, an electronic smoking device or any similar device producing vapour, emissions or aerosol from tobacco or cannabis. Under section 3, no one may smoke or otherwise consume cannabis in any public place, although a person with a medical document under the federal regulations is not subject to that section but must follow the tobacco rules.

What are the fines?

Section 11 sets these penalties on conviction:

Offence	Fine
First	$200
Second	$500
Third or later	$500 to $2,500

Each day an offence continues counts as a separate offence. An officer can serve an offence ticket that allows voluntary payment of the $200 or $500 fine, or a violation ticket requiring a court appearance. Unpaid fines can lead to up to six months in jail for an individual.

Who enforces it, and what must businesses do?

A City Bylaw Enforcement Officer or an RCMP member can inspect premises and issue tickets. The bylaw asks a proprietor to tell a smoker to stop, ask a refusing smoker to leave, refuse further service, and report anyone who will not comply to the RCMP. Proprietors must post signs at public entrances and must not leave ashtrays in smoke-free places.

The bylaw does not name a reporting line. The City’s general contact details are on its website.

How it fits with Alberta law

Alberta’s own rules apply on top. They cover workplaces, public places, vehicles with minors and more, and are summarized on the Alberta bylaw page and in the provincial summary. Red Deer’s 10-metre buffer around recreation facilities is double the 5 metres used in Calgary, while Edmonton bans smoking inside those facilities and sets its own 10-metre door rule. Other cities are on the bylaw hub.