In 1993 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classified secondhand smoke as a human lung carcinogen. The Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act of 2006 restricted indoor smoking in many public places to protect Coloradans from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
In recent years, nicotine vapor products have become popular. These products are dangerous for the user and they expose bystanders to secondhand vapor that is not safe to breathe, including cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals and nicotine. However, these products were not previously covered under the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act.
In 2019, the Colorado Legislature updated the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act (passed in 2006) to expand protections from secondhand smoke and vapor.
As of July 1, 2019:
- Vaping will not be allowed in indoor public places, including all bars and restaurants.
- People will have to be at least 25 feet from main entrances while smoking or vaping.
- All hotel and motel rooms will be smoke and vape-free.
- All businesses will be smoke and vape-free.
- Common areas of assisted living facilities will be smoke and vape-free.
Help make sure your community is protected:
- Download this fact sheet to educate your employees, customers or other people in your community about the changes.
- Business Owners are encouraged to download and print these signs to display in public places.
Use this sign to inform employees and customers that they now must be at least 25 feet from main entrances to smoke or vape.
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Spanish
If you own a cigar bar or tobacco shop, use this sign to alert customers that smoking is allowed but no one under 18 is permitted in your establishment:
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Spanish
If you own a vape shop, use this sign to alert customers that vaping is allowed but no one under 18 is permitted in your establishment:
English
Spanish
There are still some places where smoking and vaping will be allowed:
- Cigar bars that meet these requirements:
- Must have generated at least $50,000 in annual sales or 5% of its total annual gross income from the on-site sale of tobacco products and the rental of on-site humidors.
- Must have met this threshold in calendar year ending December 31, 2005 and each successive year to maintain cigar-tobacco bar exemption.
- May not expand or change size and location after December 31, 2005.
- No one under 18 is permitted to enter these establishments. Signage stating so is required by October 1, 2019.
- Tobacco and vape retail shops that meet these requirements:
- Any business engaged primarily in the sale, manufacture, or promotion of tobacco, tobacco products, or smoking devices and accessories, including electronic smoking devices, either at wholesale or retail and in which the sale, manufacture, or promotion of other products is merely incidental.
- No one under 18 is permitted to enter these establishments. Signage stating so is required by October 1, 2019.
- Marijuana tasting rooms that meet these requirements can allow smoking and vaping of marijuana only:
- The business must be licensed for marijuana consumption.
- No one under 21 is permitted to enter these establishments.
- Buildings such as barns or other outbuildings on farms or ranches that meet these requirements:
- The farm or ranch earns less than $500,000 per year in gross income and the buildings are neither homes nor public places.