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Just Ask Us: Does smoking ordinance apply to sidewalks? 

A: Under the city ordinance that took effect in July 2005, every building considered a place of employment must have at least one entrance that is smoke-free. The ordinance defines an entrance as "a doorway and adjacent area which gives direct access to a building from a contiguous street, plaza, sidewalk or parking lot."

St. Mary's Hospital has designated all their entrances as non-smoking, said Steve Sparks, public relations director for the hospital, and that includes the presumably public sidewalk because it leads to the entrance. When you designate a smoke-free entrance, Sparks said, "you are required by the ordinance to allow people to enter without going through a cloud of smoke."

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