Salt Lake Valley Health Department
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Tobacco Prevention and Control
Managers and Owners
Why go Smoke-Free?
- Implementing a smoke-free policy in your community can save you money! Units are more expensive to turn over if someone has smoked inside the unit.
- Demand is high. 90.5% of Utahn's do not smoke.
- Risk of fire decreases. According to the National Fire Protection Association, cigarettes, cigars, pipes and other smoking materials are the leading cause of fire deaths in the US and in 2005 there were and estimated 82,400 fires caused by smoking materials.
Common Myths
Smoke-free policies are illegal.
- False; under Utah law, secondhand smoke is considered to be a nuisance. This means that apartment managers and owners have the authority to prohibit smoking on their property including all rental units. Having a smoke-free policy is no different than having a policy against pets or loud noise.
Prohibiting smoking is discriminatory to those who smoke.
- False; smokers are not a protected legal class which means there is no law that states there is a “right to smoke.”
Enforcing the policy will be too difficult.
- False; smoking is not easily hidden. Residents of your apartment or condo can be helpful in identifying those that are breaking the rules and smoking in areas where it is prohibited. Following through with violations of the leases is also very important.
View example smoke-free policies