The Fort Wayne Fire and Police Departments along with the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health offer the following review of the Smoking Ordinance that applies to the City of Fort Wayne.

Owners, operators, managers or employees having control over a place of employment, restaurant, public place, enclosed area or other area where smoking is prohibited, and any citizen who desires to register a complaint, may now initiate enforcement by calling 311 (One Call to City Hall) Monday - Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. or on weekends and after hours at 427-1222. The Fort Wayne Fire Department hotline number (427-7665) also remains an option. If the Fire Department and/or Police Department are not involved in other higher priority activities, someone will be dispatched to issue a citation to the offending party. The complaint must be reported within a timely manner after observing the violation.

The City of Fort Wayne Smoking Ordinance prohibits smoking of tobacco products in nearly all Public Places and Places of Employment within the city limits.

Smoking is also not allowed within 20 feet from any door or other opening of a public or government building.  All hospitals in the City of Fort Wayne do not allow smoking in the building or on the grounds of the hospitals.

There should be signs conspicuously posted on every entrance to every building that is regulated that shows that smoking is not permitted inside the building.

Enforcement is implemented by the Fort Wayne Fire Department, Fort Wayne Police Department, Fort Wayne-Allen County Health Department, Allen County Building Department and Fort Wayne Neighborhood Code Enforcement.

A business that allows a violation is subject to a civil fine of up to $2,500 per day per violation.  A person violating the law is subject to a civil fine of $25 for first, $100 for second and $250 for all subsequent violations.

The exemptions to this law are: Retail Tobacco Stores that are not licensed for food or alcoholic beverage consumption; 20 percent of hotel/motel rooms for rent; and, some nursing home rooms.

The entire Ordinance is available on the City of Fort Wayne's website at http://www.cityoffortwayne.org under Special Features.