Do you smoke and live in public housing?
Smoking is banned in public housing across the country as of July 30, 2018.
You cannot use:
cigarettes,
cigars, pipes, and
hookahs (water pipes).
Your housing authority may have banned Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), too.
You cannot use tobacco products:
in any public housing units,
interior common areas, or
outdoor areas within 25 feet of residential and office buildings (but see the next item).
Your housing authority may have banned smoking in other areas, too, or may have made the entire grounds smoke-free.
Interior common areas include, but are not limited to:
hallways,
rental and administrative offices,
community centers,
day care centers,
laundry centers,
and similar structures.
You will have to:
sign a lease amendment if you want to continue to live in public housing, and
make sure that all members of your household, your guests and other persons under your control do not smoke in restricted areas or in outdoor areas designated smoke-free.
You could be evicted if you break the no-smoking rules. You would be violating a provision of your lease.
If you are facing eviction for breaking this rule, apply online for free legal assistance or call 603 Legal Aid at 603-224-3333.
Get free help to quit smoking from:
National Quitline: 1-800-Quitnow
American Lung Association Tobacco Quitline: 1-800-LUNGUSA
Try also reading…
Date: August 2018
Author: Adapted from The National Housing Law Project