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Council adopts clearer smoking rules: e-cigarettes banned indoors, designated cigar/hookah lounges allowed with ventilation
Summary
The commission adopted amendments to the health and sanitation code to ban vaping and e‑cigarettes indoors while permitting enclosed cigar and hookah lounges under strict ventilation, certification and signage requirements; the ordinance passed on second reading.
Health and planning staff presented amendments to Brownsville's smoking ordinance to include e‑cigarettes and to carve out narrowly defined allowances for cigar bars and hookah lounges. Staff explained the rationale: protect indoor air while allowing specialty venues under defined standards.
Staff summarized the main requirements: indoor cigar bars and hookah lounges must have independent ventilation systems and a walk‑in humidor or prep station, post prominent signage that entry is 21+ and may expose people to secondhand smoke, and comply with defined fresh‑air supply and direct outdoor exhaust rates. The commission voted to adopt the ordinance on second reading.
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