Beginning in 2008, golf-course fairways will be among the few public spaces where people can use tobacco and not be guilty of a class B misdemeanor.
The Davis Board of Health voted unanimously this morning to enact a countywide ordinance that bans smoking in outdoor public places.
Davis County Health Director Lewis Garrett said there was substantial public support for such an ordinance, with no real outcry against it.
However, the regulation's aim is to clear the air rather than to fill county coffers. The fine on a first offence will be $25, and will increase to $100 for subsequent violations within a two-year period.
"We don't expect our law-enforcement personnel to make this a priority," Garrett said, adding that self and peer enforcement will be the main means to restrict the habit.
The new law also limits smoking within 25 feet of incidental gatherings, such as lines for fast food, bus stops or automated teller machines.
The regulation allows for designated smoking zones to be established at least 50 feet away from common-use areas such as playgrounds and bleachers. Comprehensive signage must be posted by June 2009.
