On Jan. 1, E-Cigarettes Prohibited in Indoor Public Areas

Contact: Penny Pritchard
541-322-7481

Release Date: 12/16/2015

Starting Jan. 1, 2016, e-cigarettes and similar devices will no longer be allowed in restaurants, bars, workplaces and other indoor areas in Oregon. Using inhalant delivery systems (including vape pens and e-hookah) within 10 feet of doors, accessibility ramps, windows that open and air intake vents will also be prohibited. These changes are the result of an update to Oregon’s Indoor Clean Air Act.

In preparation for Jan. 1, local businesses are encouraged to:

• Replace existing “No Smoking Within 10 Feet” signs with new signs that include “No Vaping” language. Signs, which are available from Deschutes County Health Services and at local chambers of commerce, should be posted at all entrances and exits.
   
• Post “No Smoking / No Vaping” signs for outdoor seating or dining areas that are within 10 feet of entrances, exits and accessibility ramps, windows that open and air intake vents.
   
• Talk with employees about the law and provide training on how to ask customers not to smoke or vape within 10 feet of entrances, exits, accessibility ramps, windows that open and ventilation intakes.

To report a violation of the law, use the Oregon Public Health Division’s online complaint form or call 1-866-621-6107.

About the Oregon Indoor Clean Air Act:

Oregon’s Indoor Clean Air Act (ICAA) protects nearly every Oregonian from the health risks of secondhand smoke. The ICAA, also known as the Smokefree Workplace Law, prohibits smoking in the workplace and within 10 feet of all entrances, exits, and accessibility ramps that lead to and from an entrance or exit, windows and air-intake vents. On January 1, 2016, the ICAA will include the use of “inhalant delivery systems,” which are devices that can be used to deliver nicotine, cannabinoids and other substances in the form of a vapor or aerosol.