Kansas Statewide Smoking Ban

Statewide smoking ban: On July 1, 2010, after being signed into law by Governor Mark Parkinson on March 12, 2010, an amendment to Kansas' 1987 statewide smoking law is takes effect, banning smoking statewide in all enclosed, indoor workplaces in Kansas. The law will exempt only casino and racetrack gaming floors, the entire area of a private club that was in existence on January 1, 2009, designated areas in any private club where persons under 18 are prohibited, tobacconists, designated hotel and motel smoking rooms, designated smoking areas in nursing homes and healthcare facilities, and all outdoor areas, unless within a 10' radius of an entryway to a public building.

The amendment will not change the original law's provision allowing local governments to regulate smoking more stringently than the state, which the Kansas Supreme Court reiterated in 2007 upon a bar owner's challenge to Lawrence's local smoking ban.

Until then, Kansas' 1987 statewide smoking law remains in effect, which generally prohibits smoking in any enclosed area to which the public is invited or in which the public is permitted, except in designated smoking areas, which are not limited in size, but in either case (smoking or nonsmoking) must post warning signage as appropriate. Local governments may regulate smoking more stringently than the state.