Vaping ban in public places enacted in Kittitas County - Yakima Herald-Republic

In Kittitas County, as of last month, vaping and electronic cigarette use is banned in public facilities such as bars and restaurants.


County commissioners in August added vaping to the existing anti-smoking ordinances, which prohibit people from using cigarettes, pipes, cigars or “any other lighted smoking equipment” in public facilities and call for financial penalties for violators.


“Vaping is no longer allowed in public in Kittitas County unless the public place is a licensed vape retail outlet where access by minors is prohibited and where vapor product sales generate at least 51 percent of the business’ income,” a news release from the Kittitas County Public Health Department said.


As defined by the ordinance, “public places” mean closed spaces, such as schools, theaters, casinos and banks, not open areas like public streets or sidewalks.


As with smoking, the amended ordinance requires people to be at least 25 feet away from a building’s entrance while vaping.


The county also updated its signage requirements so that businesses with “No Smoking” signs should update them to also say “No Vaping,” though Kasey Knutson with Public Health said the county is not aiming to be the “signage police” and isn’t likely to strictly enforce signage in public places.


Public Health has some No Vaping signs available for businesses that want them, and people can also go online and print them.


From the department’s standpoint, the new ban is a step toward protecting youth.


“We know there’s a huge increase in (vaping) use with kids,” Knutson said. “We want to normalize the fact that you shouldn’t be using vapor products, just like we have with tobacco products.”


In Yakima, the last time the City Council talked about potentially regulating vaping in public places was in 2014. The Council ultimately dismissed the idea of a ban. Yakima County commissioners have not enacted any codes to regulate vaping or e-cigarette use in public places, either.