Smoking is strictly prohibited in, near, or next to any entrance or exit of a public building in Clark County, Nevada. This includes buildings that are owned or leased by the county. Compliance with the law on smoking in public places and with chapter 24.20 of the Clark County Code is the responsibility of the owner, manager, operator, or other person in charge of an area open to the public or workplace. Although smoking and vaping are still allowed in these areas, the casino operator may designate separate rooms or areas within the establishment as non-smoking or non-vaping.
The Clark County Department of Public Health is responsible for enforcing the law on smoking in public places and the Clark County Code 24.20 for businesses, including bars and restaurants. Secondhand smoke contributes to approximately 41,000 deaths among non-smoking adults and 400 infants each year in the United States. Secondhand smoke, also known as ambient tobacco smoke, is a combination of smoke that comes out of the burning end of a cigarette, cigar or pipe and smoke that smokers exhale. The Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act has reduced exposure to secondhand smoke in many workplaces; however, there are still many people who work in casinos and other exempt locations who suffer daily exposure to second-hand smoke.
If you operate a public place or workplace, smoking or vaping is not allowed in your establishment. Independent bars, taverns and lounges where customers under 21 years of age are not allowed to enter may allow smoking and the use of electronic vaping products. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that second-hand smoke contains more than 4,000 substances, many of which are known to cause cancer in humans. The Smoking in Public Places Act (RCW 70,160) is a state law that prohibits smoking in public places and workplaces to protect employees and the public from second-hand smoke.
The Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act protects children and adults from second-hand cigarette smoke and second-hand aerosol from e-vaping products in most enclosed public places and indoor workplaces. If you don't comply with the law, an employee or member of the public can report the violation to Clark County Public Health, which will alert you to the reported violation. These policies minimize the amount of tobacco smoke that enters a building through doors, windows, ventilation systems, or any other means, allowing customers to enter your business without exposure to second-hand smoke. Exposure to second-hand smoke occurs when a tobacco product is smoked in an enclosed area or near another person.
The level of damage caused by exposure depends on the total time spent in the environment and the amount of smoke present in that airspace. Non-exempt companies should keep electronic smoking or vaping paraphernalia, including items used as ash containers, in areas where smoking and using e-vaping products are prohibited and inform customers who smoke that smoking and using e-vaping products are not allowed.
