The Dallas Fort Worth area encompasses more than just the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth. It also includes surrounding cities and suburbs. Smoking laws vary based on jurisdiction, but Texas doesn’t have statewide laws prohibiting smoking in public places. Not yet, anyway. Legislation to ban smoking in Texas restaurants and bars has failed to reach the Texas Senate floor. It is a class C misdemeanor to smoke in schools, though.
It’s legal to smoke at any cigar shop in the DFW metroplex, but that could change. Proposals to ban smoking even in cigar shops and tobacco shops arise periodically.
DFW Cities Which Have Banned Smoking in Restaurants and Bars
Here’s a list of cities which have a total ban on smoking in restaurants and bars. The only exception in these jurisdictions is your local cigar store:
- Benbrook (November 1, 2006)
- Dallas (April 10, 2009)
- Ennis (June 21, 2010)
- Flower Mound,
- Frisco (June 1, 2009)
- Highland Park
- McKinney, (September 4, 2008)
- Mesquite
- Plano, (June 1, 2007)
- Richardson
- Rowlett
- Southlake (June 1, 2007)
- University Park
Here’s a list of DFW locales where you can still legally smoke in restaurants and/or bars. (This just refers to the laws, though–various businesses can and do have various policies about cigar smoking, so it’s always a good idea to ask before lighting up.)
- Addison
- Arlington, January 1, 2007, bars are okay
- Fort Worth, January 1, 2008, bars and outdoor dining areas are okay.
- Garland, each establishment can decide for themselves.
- Grapevine
- Greenville, January 1, 2000 banned in all enclosed workplaces, including restaurants but not bars.
- Lewisville
- Prosper, bars are okay
- Rockwall, bars are okay