Lakewood : Restaurants to Reserve Half of Tables for Nonsmokers

By June 27, restaurants in Lakewood will have to set aside 50% of their tables for nonsmokers under an ordinance adopted last week by the City Council.

After weeks of debate over whether the space set aside for nonsmokers ought to be 50% of the tables or 75%, council members finally settled on the 50-50 split. The council rejected a last-minute amendment proposed by anti-smoking activists that would have required 75%.

Until now, restaurants were allowed by the city to choose one of three options: smoking everywhere, no smoking anywhere, or smoking only in designated areas. There was no requirement for a minimum amount of space.

The June 27 deadline is determined by the ordinance’s taking effect 30 days after its adoption.