Board of Health adopts new rules for smoking and vaping in Thurston County
The Thurston County Board of Health has passed new rules around smoking and vaping in public that will apply to all jurisdictions within the county.
The rules take effect Jan. 1.
Some of the rules already applied to either smoking or vaping under state laws. This change adopts the state law around smoking in public places into the county’s sanitary code and applies those same rules to vaping.
Starting Jan. 1, both vaping and smoking will be banned in indoor public places (except for tastings in licensed retailers), places of employment, and some outdoor public places where young people gather, such as playgrounds and child care centers.
A rule that bans smoking within 25 feet of doors and other air intakes for indoor spaces will be applied to vaping. Signage also will be required in public spaces and places of employment.
If a business wants to allow smoking within 25 feet of a window or door, the owner can submit an application and pay a administrative fee to have their request reviewed for a variance, Sammy Berg, a senior environmental health specialist for Thurston County, said at Tuesday’s hearing.
The first six months the new rules are in effect will be focused on education and outreach, according to board discussions. Enforcement starts July 1, 2021.
As with other sanitary code violations, enforcement of the new rules will start with a written notice of violation that gives a persontime to get into compliance with the rules, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jane Futterman said. Environmental Health staff will work with the person to get them into compliance, she said.
If those efforts aren’t successful, other enforcement mechanisms include civil infractions through district court. It can escalate to a misdemeanor violation, but Futterman said she doesn’t believe that, for all the kinds of violations that can happen in the county’s sanitary code, that’s happened more than once or twice over the last couple decades.
The board, which is made up of the three elected county commissioners, unanimously adopted the new rules Tuesday after a public hearing that didn’t draw any commenters. Public Health and Social Services Director Schelli Slaughter said there was one written comment submitted in strong support.
“I guess I would comment that the statistics that have been presented by our health officers about youth vaping and the rise in this product gives me great concern,” Commissioner Tye Menser, who chairs the board, said before the vote.
“I am always mindful of people’s civil liberties and right to act in the way they feel is appropriate, as long as they’re not harming others. I feel that this ordinance is appropriately tailored to manage that.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 9:38 AM with the headline "Board of Health adopts new rules for smoking and vaping in Thurston County."
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