Jump to full article: Tacoma (WA) Weekly, 2009-03-19
Author: John Larson Tacoma Weekly
Intro: Could smoking inside rental housing be banned in Tacoma? Potentially, but such a ban has legal complexities surrounding it. Tacoma City Council's Neighborhoods and Housing Committee heard a proposal on the topic on March 2.
Jacqueline Strong Moss from the city's Human Rights and Human Services Department mentioned the statewide smoking ban in public places such as taverns, restaurants and bowling alleys. That does not apply to rental housing, she noted.
However, some landlords are increasingly concerned about the costs of cleaning rental units after smokers move out. John Briehl, director of the department, said that as a result efforts to ban smoking in rental units are mostly market-driven. "There has been movement in the industry for smoke-free housing."
Smoking is banned in some public housing. Briehl gave one local example. Tacoma Housing Authority bans smoking in its E.B. Wilson Apartments, which are designated for elderly and disabled renters. Smoking was banned in all 77 units last year. Seattle Housing Authority has one smoke-free complex.
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