Public Health

Environmental Health - MN Clean Indoor Air Act

In 1975, Minnesota became the first state to pass legislation limiting smoking in the workplace. The historic Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act required separate no-smoking areas in most indoor work environments with the notable exception of bars.

Now, Minnesota has passed the Freedom to Breathe Act of 2007, which will extend secondhand smoke protections to virtually all indoor workplaces, including bars and restaurants. The Freedom to Breathe bill was passed by a bipartisan majority of lawmakers and signed into law by Governor Tim Pawlenty on May 16, 2007. The law, which went into effect on October 1, 2007, makes Minnesota the twentieth state to go smoke-free.

Highlights of the new law:

  • No smoking is allowed in bars, restaurants, private clubs or other workplaces
  • Smoking is permitted on outdoor patios, but is subject to regulation at the local level
  • Indoor smoking is prohibited in public places and places of work, except in scientific studies, theatrical productions (by actors) and traditional Native American ceremonies; in hotel and motel guestrooms, tobacco shops (for product sampling), a disabled veterans rest camp in Washington County and locked psychiatric units; and on family farms

If you have a compliance complaint please don't hesitate to contact our office.