According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure; even brief exposure can cause immediate harm.

Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing

No smoking sign on apartment complex

Everyone deserves to live in a smoke-free home. Unfortunately, home is one of the places that most people are exposed to secondhand smoke (harmful smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette). [1]

In the U.S., there are 480,000 people who die every year because of smoking, which could have been prevented. Vulnerable populations such as elderly adults and children are at risk of more severe complications. [2]

Even if no one smokes in your home, the smoke from your neighbors can travel through cracks in the walls, air vents, plumbing, electrical lines, windows, and doorways. [3]

Smoke-Free Housing Laws Can: 

  • Improve air quality 
  • Improve health 
  • Reduce exposure to secondhand smoke 
  • Reduce smoking among youth and adults 
  • Save millions of dollars in cleaning costs 
  • Save millions of dollars in fire damages caused by smoking 

Current Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing Laws:

In 2016, the Department of Housing and Urban Development required all low-income public housing to be smoke-free nationwide. Although low-income public housing is now smoke-free, every city can still decide whether they want to adopt comprehensive smoke-free housing laws. In California, only 99 local policies exist. Learn more about the existing policies.

You can help make a difference in your community by contacting your elected official about any issue that affects your community. There are also other community partners that advocate for positive changes in their communities. 

Contact a Community Partner in Your Area:

Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, and Vista 

    Vista Community Clinic @ Jennifer.Gill@vcc.org

Carlsbad, Encinitas, Del Mar, and Solana Beach

    San Dieguito Alliance for Drug-Free Youth @ judistrang@earthlink.net

Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, and San Diego

    Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego @ mbadiner@saysandiego.org

San Diego

    Community Action Service & Advocacy (CASA) @ dcolbert@casaneighborhoods.org

Other Resources:

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More resources from the American Non-Smokers' Rights Foundation

 

Back to the Tobacco Control Resource Program homepage.

Last updated 3/10/2025.