Private property, never public
This page is part of our California dispensary guide, and the rule fits in one line. You can't smoke or eat cannabis in any public place, can't smoke it anywhere tobacco smoking is banned, and can't use it while riding in a car. Vaping counts as smoking.
The penalties are tickets, not arrests. Using in public runs up to $100. Smoking where tobacco is banned, within 1,000 feet of a school while kids are there, or riding with an open package runs up to $250. The one public exception is a lounge the city has approved.
Can I smoke here?
Tap a spot. Green means go, gold means it depends on someone else's rules, red means the law says no.
YesYour house or backyard
Yes. Private property is where the law expects you to use it. Near a school, keep the smoke from reaching it while kids are there.
DependsApartment or rental
Read the lease. Landlords can ban smoking anywhere on a rental, units included, and property owners can ban cannabis outright.
DependsHotel or Airbnb
Most hotels don't allow it in rooms, so ask the front desk. For a vacation rental, ask the owner before you light up.
NoSidewalk or street
No. Using cannabis in any public place is a ticket up to $100, and a vape pen counts as smoking.
NoThe beach
No. A beach is public, state beaches ban smoking any plant product, and LA County beaches ban smoking outright.
NoParks and playgrounds
No. Parks are public, state parks ban smoking any plant product, and smoking is banned within 25 feet of a playground.
NoIn the car
No. Nobody in a moving car can smoke or eat it, passengers included, and an opened package belongs in the trunk.
NoUber, Lyft or a Waymo
No. The passenger exemption for taxis and limos covers alcohol only, so lighting up in a rideshare or robotaxi is still banned.
NoBar or restaurant
No. Cannabis can't be smoked anywhere tobacco smoking is banned, and the regulator lists restaurants and bars as public places.
DependsA consumption lounge
Yes, where the city allows one. Lounges are 21+, can let you smoke, vape or eat on site, and some can serve food. The City of Los Angeles bans them.
NoNear a school
No within 1,000 feet of a school, day care or youth center while kids are there. The ticket runs up to $250.
DependsA cannabis event
Only at licensed events the city approves, in a 21+ area out of public view. The City of Los Angeles doesn't allow them.
NoAt work
No, if your employer bans it, and employers can keep a drug-free workplace. Off the clock is protected for most jobs since 2024.
NoNational parks
No. National parks are federal land, where you can't use or even carry cannabis.
- Yes
- Depends
- No
