{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/15.2-2824.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/15.2-2824.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/15.2-2824.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/15.2-2824.html"}],"law_id":348141,"edition_id":2,"section_id":348141,"structure_id":49939,"section_number":"15.2-2824","catch_line":"Prohibitions on smoking generally; penalty for violation","history":"2009, cc. 153, 154; 2020, cc. 860, 861.","full_text":"A\n\nSmoking shall be prohibited in (i) elevators, regardless of capacity, except in any open material hoist elevator not intended for use by the general public; (ii) public school buses; (iii) the interior of any public elementary, intermediate, and secondary school; (iv) hospital emergency rooms; (v) local or district health departments; (vi) polling rooms; (vii) indoor service lines and cashier lines; (viii) public restrooms in any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or any agency thereof; (ix) the interior of a child day center licensed pursuant to § 22.1-289.011 that is not also used for residential purposes; however, this prohibition shall not apply to any area of a building not utilized by a child day center, unless otherwise prohibited by this chapter; and (x) public restrooms of health care facilities.\n\nB\n\nNo person shall smoke in any area or place specified in subsection A and any person who continues to smoke in such area or place after having been asked to refrain from smoking shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $25.\n\nC\n\nCivil penalties assessed under this section shall be paid into the Virginia Health Care Fund established under § 32.1-366.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1298426,"text":"Smoking shall be prohibited in (i) elevators, regardless of capacity, except in any open material hoist elevator not intended for use by the general public; (ii) public school buses; (iii) the interior of any public elementary, intermediate, and secondary school; (iv) hospital emergency rooms; (v) local or district health departments; (vi) polling rooms; (vii) indoor service lines and cashier lines; (viii) public restrooms in any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or any agency thereof; (ix) the interior of a child day center licensed pursuant to § 22.1-289.011 that is not also used for residential purposes; however, this prohibition shall not apply to any area of a building not utilized by a child day center, unless otherwise prohibited by this chapter; and (x) public restrooms of health care facilities.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":1298427,"text":"No person shall smoke in any area or place specified in subsection A and any person who continues to smoke in such area or place after having been asked to refrain from smoking shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $25.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":1298428,"text":"Civil penalties assessed under this section shall be paid into the Virginia Health Care Fund established under § 32.1-366.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":49939,"edition_id":2,"name":"Statewide Regulation of Smoking","identifier":"2","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":49937,"metadata":{"child_laws":4,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:18:36","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:29:43","permalink":{"id":1383315,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":49939,"identifier":"2","token":"15.2\/II\/28.2\/2","url":"\/15.2\/II\/28.2\/2\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":49937,"edition_id":2,"name":"Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act","identifier":"28.2","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":25,"parent_id":49834,"metadata":{"child_laws":14,"child_structures":3},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:18:35","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:29:42","permalink":{"id":1383295,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":49937,"identifier":"28.2","token":"15.2\/II\/28.2","url":"\/15.2\/II\/28.2\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":49834,"edition_id":2,"name":"Powers of Local Government","identifier":"II","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":2,"parent_id":49831,"metadata":{"child_laws":1081,"child_structures":112},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:16:24","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:29:25","permalink":{"id":1379371,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":49834,"identifier":"II","token":"15.2\/II","url":"\/15.2\/II\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":49831,"edition_id":2,"name":"Counties, Cities and Towns","identifier":"15.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":46,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":2297,"child_structures":225},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:16:22","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:29:22","permalink":{"id":1378281,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":49831,"identifier":"15.2","token":"15.2","url":"\/15.2\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":348141,"structure_id":49939,"section_number":"15.2-2824","catch_line":"Prohibitions on smoking generally; penalty for violation","url":"\/15.2-2824\/","token":"15.2\/II\/28.2\/2\/15.2-2824","metadata":false},{"id":348142,"structure_id":49939,"section_number":"15.2-2825","catch_line":"Smoking in restaurants prohibited; exceptions; posting of signs; penalty for violation","url":"\/15.2-2825\/","token":"15.2\/II\/28.2\/2\/15.2-2825","metadata":false},{"id":348143,"structure_id":49939,"section_number":"15.2-2826","catch_line":"Designation of \"No-Smoking\" areas; smoking prohibited in \"No-Smoking\" areas; penalty for violation","url":"\/15.2-2826\/","token":"15.2\/II\/28.2\/2\/15.2-2826","metadata":{"court_decisions":""}},{"id":348144,"structure_id":49939,"section_number":"15.2-2827","catch_line":"Responsibility of building proprietors and managers","url":"\/15.2-2827\/","token":"15.2\/II\/28.2\/2\/15.2-2827","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":348142,"structure_id":49939,"section_number":"15.2-2825","catch_line":"Smoking in restaurants prohibited; exceptions; posting of signs; penalty for violation","url":"\/15.2-2825\/","token":"15.2\/II\/28.2\/2\/15.2-2825","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/15.2-2824\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2009. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 153<\/a> and 154<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 2020, chapters 860<\/a> and 861<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":348146,"section_number":"15.2-2829","catch_line":"Mandatory provisions of ordinances","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-2829\/"},{"id":348147,"section_number":"15.2-2830","catch_line":"Optional provisions of ordinances","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-2830\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":354676,"section_number":"22.1-289.011","catch_line":"Licenses required; issuance, expiration, and renewal; maximum number of participants or children; posting of licenses","order_by":null,"url":"\/22.1-289.011\/"},{"id":359586,"section_number":"32.1-366","catch_line":"Virginia Health Care Fund established","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-366\/"}],"permalink":{"id":1383317,"object_type":"law","relational_id":348141,"identifier":"15.2-2824","token":"15.2\/II\/28.2\/2\/15.2-2824","url":"\/15.2-2824\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/15.2-2824\/","token":"15.2\/II\/28.2\/2\/15.2-2824","dublin_core":{"Title":"Prohibitions on smoking generally; penalty for violation","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 15.2-2824","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> Smoking<\/span> shall be prohibited in (i) elevators, regardless of capacity, except in any open material<\/span> hoist elevator not intended for use by the general public; (ii) public school buses; (iii) the interior of any public elementary, intermediate, and secondary school; (iv) hospital emergency rooms; (v) local or district health departments; (vi) polling rooms; (vii) indoor service lines and cashier lines; (viii) public restrooms in any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or any agency thereof; (ix) the interior of a child day center licensed pursuant to § 22.1-289.011<\/a> that is not also used for residential purposes; however, this prohibition shall not apply to any area of a building not utilized by a child day center, unless otherwise prohibited by this chapter; and (x) public restrooms of health care facilities. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> No person shall smoke<\/span> in any area or place specified in subsection A and any person who continues to smoke<\/span> in such area or place after having been asked to refrain from smoking<\/span> shall be subject to a civil penalty<\/span> of not more than $25. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> Civil penalties assessed under this section shall be paid into the Virginia Health Care Fund established under § 32.1-366<\/a>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nPROHIBITIONS ON SMOKING GENERALLY; PENALTY FOR VIOLATION (\u00a7 15.2-2824)\n\nA. Smoking shall be prohibited in (i) elevators, regardless of capacity, except\nin any open material hoist elevator not intended for use by the general public;\n(ii) public school buses; (iii) the interior of any public elementary,\nintermediate, and secondary school; (iv) hospital emergency rooms; (v) local or\ndistrict health departments; (vi) polling rooms; (vii) indoor service lines and\ncashier lines; (viii) public restrooms in any building owned or leased by the\nCommonwealth or any agency thereof; (ix) the interior of a child day center\nlicensed pursuant to § 22.1-289.011 that is not also used for residential\npurposes; however, this prohibition shall not apply to any area of a building\nnot utilized by a child day center, unless otherwise prohibited by this chapter;\nand (x) public restrooms of health care facilities.\n\nB. No person shall smoke in any area or place specified in subsection A and any\nperson who continues to smoke in such area or place after having been asked to\nrefrain from smoking shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $25.\n\nC. Civil penalties assessed under this section shall be paid into the Virginia\nHealth Care Fund established under § 32.1-366.\n\nHISTORY: 2009, cc. 153, 154; 2020, cc. 860, 861.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}