Smoke-Free Air Law
"The debate is over. The science is clear: secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease in children and nonsmoking adults." -U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona
No smoking here please!
Smoke-free air has come to Wisconsin! Starting on July 5, 2010, all public workplaces in Wisconsin became smoke-free!
Check out this printable fact sheet:
Click on the link and print.
SFA fact sheet.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [62.5 KB]
For more information on the law, information for businesses and employees or quit smoking tips go to the Wisconsin's Better Smoke-Free website. Or, for even more information, check out Smoke Free Wisconsin!
What does it all mean?
Definitions:
Wisconsin went smoke-free on July 5, 2010. That means that all places of employment ban indoor smoking. Any indoor place is defined as any place that employees enter to carry out their work duties such as an office, work area, employee lounge, restroom, conference room, meeting room, classroom, elevator, stairway, lobby, common area, vehicle, cafeteria or hallway.
Public place is any place open to the public or where the public may be invited.
Enclosed place is a structure or area that has a roof and more than two substantial walls (substantial meaning no less than 25% open air).
Smoking is a cigar, cigarette, pipe or any other lighted smoking equiptment.
Great! Make it simple. Where is smoking banned?
Smoking is banned in the following places:
- State Capitol and immediate vicinity
- Residence halls of colleges and universities
- Day care centers and outside of a day care center when children are present
- Educational facilities
- Correctional facilities (and on the grounds of juvenile correction facilities)
- State institutions (mental health, developmentally disabled persons)
- All restaurants and taverns
- All retail establishments
- All bowling centers
- All skating rinks
- Private clubs (American Legion, VFW, etc.)
- Common areas of multi-unit residential properties
- Hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts, and tourist rooming houses
- All municipal buildings
- A reasonable distance from smoke-free places and entrances
- Sports Arenas of all kinds, including Lambeau Field, Miller Park, & gymnasiums (whether or not they fit the definition of an enclosed space)
- Any business that has adopted a smoke-free grounds policy that includes outside surrounding property (look for signage)
- Bus shelters, public transit
- Health and medical centers, including hospitals, physician's offices, treatment centers
- Inpatient health care facilities (county home, nursing homes, hospice, veteran's home)
- Theaters
- All other enclosed places other than list above that are places of employment or public places
So, I'm a smoker. Where can I smoke?
Smoking is allowed in the following places:
- Outside, as long as it is a reasonable distance from an entrance of a public workplace
- Private residences
- Certain residence rooms in assisted living facilities which are designated as smoking
- Some casino floors
- Tobacco retailers who generate more than 75% of its revenue from the sale of tobacco, not including cigarettes
- Tobacco bars which generate 15% or more of its revenue from the sale of cigars or pipe tobacco (vending machines not included)
Print 