Celebrating 25 Years of El Paso’s Smoke Free Ordinance

The Paso del Norte Health Foundation is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the City of El Paso’s Smoke Free Ordinance. For more than two decades, the ordinance has helped clear the air from secondhand smoke by prohibiting indoor smoking in public places and workplaces, reduce smoking rates from a high of 24% to a low of 11%, and witness a correlating reduction of lung disease. Today, the question of “smoking or nonsmoking?” when sitting at a restaurant is essentially nonexistent. But in the 1990s, it was a common reality. In 2001, El Pasoans of all ages rallied together to advocate for healthier public spaces and create the change they wanted to see in their community. Dr. Michael Kelly, Vice President of the PdNHF, recalls how controversial the ordinance was during the El Paso City Council’s debate. “A story from the day of that council vote remains in my mind. Young people rallied outside the old City Hall. Three of them, a 9-year-old boy and two high school girls, spoke directly to City Council that day,” Kelly said. “They simply asked the adults seated in the City Council chairs…to protect their health.” Led by Mayor Raymond Caballero and Council Representative Larry Medina, the City Council passed the ordinance 7-1 on June 26, 2001. El Paso made history as the first city in Texas to enact a smoke-free ordinance of its kind. Other major Texas cities followed. Austin adopted its ordinance in 2005, Houston and Dallas in 2007, and Fort Worth in 2018. Across El Paso County, the City of Socorro, Town of Anthony, City of San Elizario and Town of Horizon City have also passed their own Smoke Free Ordinances. The Village of Vinton adopted smoke-free protections for its municipal parks and playgrounds. “The numbers tell part of the story. Five years before the ordinance, 21 percent of El Paso adults smoked. Five years afterward, it was down to under 15 percent. The ordinance did not accomplish it alone. It was a comprehensive effort,” Kelly said during the City of El Paso’s recognition of the ordinance’s 25th anniversary. The smoke-free air we share today is the result of a collective commitment by community leaders, advocates, organizations, health care partners, businesses, public officials, and residents, with leadership and support from the Tobacco Control Network and PdNHF’s A Smoke Free Paso del Norte initiative to achieve healthier outcomes for our region. A Proclamation recognizing the anniversary was presented by the El Paso City Council on September 1, 2026, and the El Paso County Commissioners Court is scheduled to present a resolution on September 21, 2026. In 2014, the ordinance was updated to expand the definition of “smoking” to include electronic cigarettes and extend smoke-free protections to city-owned properties, including parks and bus stops, with a 20-foot no-smoking zone around all public entrances. The Paso del Norte region remains committed to building a healthier community by educating the public about emerging tobacco and vaping trends, equipping parents with resources to talk with their children, and connecting people with resources to prevent and quit tobacco use. Learn more about this ongoing work at smokefreepdn.org.