• Outdoor smokers might be in violation of certain restrictions.cigarette image by bright from Fotolia.com
  
  Government restrictions placed on public tobacco use have grown significantly over the past two decades, beginning with local or city regulations, followed by statewide bans, and even many nationwide smoking prohibitions in European countries. The most debated, and possibly the most evident, restrictions involve smoking bans in bars and restaurants, locations known for indoor or outdoor smoking areas, and locations owned by private interests. Smoking restrictions on outdoor areas vary somewhat from state to state and city to city, but a few restrictions are common.
  
  

Clearly Marked Areas

• As the universal nonsmoking symbol was once commonplace, denoting an area where smoking was not permitted, now marked areas that allow smoking are the norm. Outdoor smoking areas that are adjacent to areas that don't allow smoking must be clearly marked.
  
  

Separate Areas

• In the 1990s, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommended smoking bans in all indoor public areas, leading to bans that included outdoor areas adjacent to entryways or outdoor nonsmoking areas. Many local and state legislatures adopted the rule of prohibition up to 25 feet from doorways. In outdoor dining areas of restaurants and bars, separation of 3 feet or more is often prescribed for denoted smoking areas next to outdoor nonsmoking areas.
  
  

Quantity of Available Seating

• Many restrictions include a prescribed portion of the dining area allowable for smoking. In New York, for example, outdoor smoking areas must not constitute more than 25 percent of available seating.
  
  

Smoking Waiver

• Local businesses that can show that smoking restrictions will have an adverse effect on business can generally apply for a waiver from the local or state government. Many local businesses attempt to qualify as a "cigar bar" in order to gain exemption from smoking restrictions. For this exemption, businesses must show that a significant portion of their sales arrive from tobacco or tobacco-related products, and they generally must have a humidor installed for indoor smoking permission.