Council enacts hours limits for hookah and smoking establishments after resident complaints about late-night disorder

Cincinnati City Council passed an ordinance adding a new section to the municipal code to regulate operating hours for hookah and other smoking establishments, citing neighborhood quality-of-life and safety concerns.

Residents from Clifton told the council that late-night activity around hookah cafés has led to traffic blockages, fights and other disorder. Ben Pantoha, who identified himself as president of Clifton Town Meeting, said hookah bars “have become a focal point for street takeovers, especially from 2 to 4AM,” and described assaults, loud noise, litter and a reported incident involving a weapon.

Mike Anagnosto, president of the Clifton Business Association, told council the neighborhood faces “quality of life issues” from activity “between midnight and 5AM” and urged passage of the measure. Jan Brown Cecco, a Clifton resident, described the neighborhood mix of students and families and told council the change “will put some reasonable hours of operation closing at 10PM on weekdays and 11PM on weekends,” and urged passage.

Council member Mark Jeffries, who introduced the ordinance in the business portion of the meeting, framed it as a measured response to repeated neighborhood complaints and nuisance reports: “Our first responsibility is to make sure our residents feel safe, their neighborhoods are livable.” He said multiple nuisance claims had been filed against several establishments in the past two years and cited other cities that regulate hours as precedent.

The ordinance was considered under emergency suspension and passed on roll call. The ordinance text in the meeting record was presented as an amendment to Title 8 (business regulations) creating a new section on hookah and other smoking establishments to regulate hours and to protect public health, safety and welfare. The council did not, during the meeting, amend the ordinance on the record to specify additional penalties or enforcement timelines beyond the operating-hours regulation.

Supporters called the change a balance between preserving local businesses and addressing recurring late-night disorder; opponents in public comment were not recorded objecting to the measure. Council members said implementation and enforcement will be handled by the administration and relevant licensing and code enforcement staff.