Boston Bans Park Smoking

In late November, the Boston City Council voted unanimously in favor of banning smoking in parks, golf courses and other areas owned by the city, today, that mandate became law.

The measure still had to clear the Boston Parks and Recreation Commission—which voted unanimously in favor of the move today—and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who proposed the measured. Under the amended Boston Municipal Code, Ordinance 7-4.14, smoking tobacco in these city parks will now carry a $250 fine. The new law goes into effect immediately.

Menino’s sixth and final term will end on Jan. 6 when Mayor-elect Martin J. Walsh is sworn in.

Boston’s ban is the most notable in the U.S. since New York City banned park smoking in 2011.

In 2011, Menino ordered Boston cigar bars to be closed by 2018, an action that was overruled by the Massachusetts House of Representatives.