Where You Can Smoke and Vape in Vancouver

Vancouver has two sets of rules. The Park Board makes smoking illegal in its parks. The City’s Health By-law, No. 9535, covers the rest of public life, such as shops and entrances. The Park Board’s by-law came into force on 1 September 2010. The details below come from the City’s own pages and the by-law text it publishes, checked on 27 October 2026.

What does the Park Board bylaw ban?

The Park Board Smoking Regulation Bylaw prohibits smoking in Vancouver parks and park areas, including on park land, on seawalls and beaches, in buildings in parks (except caretaker residences), in customer service areas in parks, in vehicles for hire, on public transit in parks, and in shelters where people wait to board them.

The City adds that these areas are also covered:

• sports fields, courts and ball diamonds
• playgrounds
• pathways and trails
• public golf courses, including clubhouses and patios
• park restaurants and patios
• parking lots within park boundaries
• personal vehicles within park boundaries
• foreshore areas, the shallow water along the shore

So this is a true park ban, unlike the facility-by-facility rules in cities such as Red Deer or Calgary. The by-law text defines smoking as burning or carrying a lighted cigarette, cigar, pipe, hookah pipe or other lighted equipment. Check the City’s current consolidation if you need the exact definition for vapes in parks.

Does vaping count in Vancouver?

In the Health By-law, yes. The City says that definition of smoking now includes all forms of e-smoking, so it is not allowed anywhere regular smoking is already prohibited in public spaces, such as restaurants, retail stores and within six metres of a building entrance. There is no exemption for vapour lounges. The business operator is responsible for employees and patrons. There are no restrictions on smoking in your own residence, including a private balcony, though stratas can make their own rules.

What are the fines?

The City states that the minimum fine for smoking in a park or other regulated outdoor space is $250. The text of the Park Board by-law sets a range of $250 to $2,000 for each offence, and a minimum of $500 for a responsible person who allows smoking in a park building, customer service area or vehicle for hire. The text we read dates from the 2010 enactment, so check the Park Board’s current by-law before relying on the upper figures.

Who enforces it, and how do you report?

Park Rangers, City bylaw enforcement officers and Health Inspectors can all issue tickets. The Park Board says its main goal is voluntary compliance through education. If you see someone smoking in a park, the City suggests telling them politely that a bylaw prohibits it, or reporting it to the Park Rangers using the “Report smoking in parks” link on the Park Board’s page.

Tickets are either a Notice of By-law Violation or a Municipal Ticket Information, and each has its own payment and dispute rules, which the City explains on its public health regulations page.

How this fits with B.C. law

The Province sets a six-metre buffer at doorways and bans smoking at schools, and tells people to follow any stricter bylaw. See the British Columbia bylaw page and the provincial summary. For other places, read about outdoor smoking bans in Canada and fines for smoking in prohibited places, or return to the bylaw hub.