DOVER, Del. (AP) - State officials are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Delaware's ban on indoor smoking in public places.
Delaware's Clean Indoor Air Act took effect on Nov. 27, 2002, making Delaware the second state, after California, to pass a law against smoking in indoor workplaces and public places.
The law banned indoor smoking at workplaces, healthcare facilities, public and nonpublic schools, restaurants, bars, libraries, museums, theaters, auditoriums, casinos, and 75 percent of hotel rooms.
Since the law took effect, the Division of Public Health has received 1,564 smoking complaints, resulting in 105 administrative penalties against facilities totaling $19,000.
The CIAA allows cities and towns to adopt more restrictive indoor no-smoking policies, but ordinances so far have concerned outdoor smoking. In 2011, eight municipalities received federal stimulus grants to establish smoke-free zones.
