--- title: HB 1136. Georgia Smoke-free Air Act; prohibit smoking and disposing of smoking products within a 25 foot radius of playgrounds and sandboxes collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb1136 cite_as: HB 1136, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1136 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1136.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1136/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72690 date: 2026-02-04 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1135.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1137.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1136.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 1136 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-02-02 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Lydia Glaize - Carmen Rice - Lehman Franklin - Billy Mitchell - Al Williams - Miriam Paris text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1136/2025 upstream_id: 2104380 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - smoking ban - youth sports - playground safety - public health - tobacco regulation --- # HB 1136. Georgia Smoke-free Air Act; prohibit smoking and disposing of smoking products within a 25 foot radius of playgrounds and sandboxes ## Text House Bill 1136 By: Representatives Glaize of the 67th, Rice of the 139th, Franklin of the 160th, Mitchell of the 88th, Williams of the 168th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapter 12A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the "Georgia Smoke-free Air Act of 2005," so as to prohibit smoking and disposing of smoking products within a 25 foot radius of playgrounds and sandboxes; to prohibit smoking within 250 feet of a youth sports event; to provide for definitions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Chapter 12A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the "Georgia Smoke-free Air Act of 2005," is amended by revising paragraphs (10) through (19) of and adding new paragraphs to Code Section 31-12A-2, relating to definitions, to read as follows: "(10) 'Playground' means any park or recreational area specifically designed to be used by children that has play equipment installed, or any similar facility located on public or private school grounds, or on city, county, or state park grounds. (10)(11) 'Public place' means an enclosed area to which the public is invited or in which the public is permitted, including, but not limited to, banks, bars, educational facilities, health care facilities, laundromats, public transportation facilities, reception areas, restaurants, retail food production and marketing establishments, retail service establishments, retail stores, shopping malls, sports arenas, theaters, and waiting rooms. A private residence is not a public place unless it is used as a licensed child care, adult day-care, or health care facility. (11)(12) 'Restaurant' means an eating establishment, including, but not limited to, coffee shops, cafeterias, sandwich stands, and private and public school cafeterias, which gives or offers for sale food to the public, guests, or employees, as well as kitchens and catering facilities in which food is prepared on the premises for serving elsewhere. The term shall include a bar area within any restaurant. (12)(13) 'Retail tobacco store' means a retail store utilized primarily for the sale of tobacco products and accessories and in which the sale of other products is merely incidental. (14) 'Sandbox' means a designated play area within a public park for the use by children under five years of age. Where the area is not contained by a fence, the boundary of a sandbox area shall be defined by the edge of the resilient surface of safety material, such as concrete or wood, or any other material surrounding the sandbox area. (13)(15) 'Secondhand smoke' means smoke emitted from lighted, smoldering, or burning tobacco when the person smoking is not inhaling, smoke emitted at the mouthpiece during puff drawing, and smoke exhaled by the person smoking. (14)(16) 'Service line' means an indoor line in which one or more persons are waiting for or receiving service of any kind, whether or not the service involves the exchange of money. (15)(17) 'Shopping mall' means an enclosed public walkway or hall area that serves to connect retail or professional establishments. (16)(18) 'Smoking' means inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted tobacco product intended for inhalation, including cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco. Such term includes the use of an electronic smoking device which creates an aerosol or vapor or the use of any oral smoking device for the purpose of circumventing the prohibition of smoking in this chapter. (17)(19) 'Smoking area' means a separately designated enclosed room which need not be entered by an employee in order to conduct business that is designated as a smoking area and, when so designated as a smoking area, shall not be construed as to deprive employees of a nonsmoking lounge, waiting area, or break room. (18)(20) 'Sports arena' means enclosed stadiums and enclosed sports pavilions, gymnasiums, health spas, boxing arenas, swimming pools, roller and ice rinks, bowling alleys, and other similar places where members of the general public assemble to engage in physical exercise, participate in athletic competition, or witness sports or other events. (19)(21) 'Tobacco product' has the same meaning as in 21 U.S.C. Section 321(rr) as it exists on July 1, 2023. (22) 'Youth sports event' means any practice, game, or related activity organized by any entity at which athletes up to 18 years of age are present." SECTION 2. Said chapter is further amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "31-12A-14. (a) Smoking shall be prohibited within: (1) A 25 foot radius of any playground or sandbox area; and (2) A 250 foot radius of any youth sports event. (b) Disposing of cigarette butts, cigar butts, or any other tobacco related waste shall be prohibited within a 25 foot radius of any playground or sandbox area." SECTION 3. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House bill would ban smoking within 25 feet of playgrounds and sandboxes and within 250 feet of youth sports events, expanding the state's Smoke-free Air Act. ### Plain-language summary Georgia's Smoke-free Air Act of 2005 (O.C.G.A. Chapter 12A of Title 31) currently sets rules for smoking in enclosed public places like restaurants and bars, but it does not address outdoor areas like playgrounds or youth sports fields. This bill adds new protections for those outdoor spaces. The bill defines 'playground' as any park or recreational area with play equipment designed for children, and 'sandbox' as a designated children's play area within a public park. It then adds a new Code section making it illegal to smoke within 25 feet of a playground or sandbox, or within 250 feet of a youth sports event (any practice, game, or related activity involving athletes up to 18 years old). It also bans disposing of cigarette butts, cigar butts, or other tobacco waste within 25 feet of a playground or sandbox. The bill also adds a definition for 'youth sports event' and renumbers several existing definitions in the law. ### What it does - Adds a new definition of 'playground' covering parks, recreational areas with play equipment, and similar areas on school or government property. - Adds a new definition of 'sandbox' as a designated children's play area within a public park, with its boundary set by fencing or surrounding safety material. - Creates a new rule banning smoking within a 25 foot radius of any playground or sandbox area. - Creates a new rule banning smoking within a 250 foot radius of any youth sports event, defined as practices, games, or related activities for athletes 18 or younger. - Bans disposing of cigarette butts, cigar butts, or other tobacco waste within 25 feet of a playground or sandbox. ### Who it affects Smokers who use tobacco or vaping products near public parks, playgrounds, or youth sports fields; parents and children who use these spaces; youth sports organizers and leagues; and local governments and school districts that maintain playgrounds and park facilities. ### Why it matters If enacted, smokers would need to move at least 25 feet from playground equipment or sandboxes and 250 feet from youth sports practices and games, changing where people can legally smoke in public parks and near school and recreation facilities across Georgia. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises and renumbers definitions in O.C.G.A. ยง 31-12A-2, adding new definitions for 'playground,' 'sandbox,' and 'youth sports event.' - Section 2 creates new Code Section 31-12A-14, prohibiting smoking within 25 feet of playgrounds or sandboxes and within 250 feet of youth sports events. - Section 2 also prohibits disposing of cigarette or cigar butts and other tobacco waste within 25 feet of playgrounds or sandboxes. - Section 3 repeals any existing laws that conflict with the new provisions. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-02-02) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-02-04) - Sponsors: Lydia Glaize, Carmen Rice, Lehman Franklin, Billy Mitchell, Al Williams, Miriam Paris - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72690 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1136.md?full=1