The District of Columbia has no law addressing smokefree housing – the smokefree law pertains only to indoor public spaces. If you are having problems with cigarette smoke drifting into your unit, here are several things you can do:
- Talk to the smoker and ask them to smoke outside. It may sound naive, but sometimes it works.
- Check the rules that govern your condo or apartment. Many have “nuisance” clauses that prohibit residents from creating nuisances.
- Lodge a complaint with your management association or condo board.
- Contact an attorney. You may have a nuisance claim.
- Start a petition drive to make your building smokefree.
Are you looking for smokefree rental housing? Check out this site, which enables users to filter for such things as smokefree buildings, pet-friendly buildings, etc. Note, however, that sometimes units are listed as smokefree but the whole building might not be smokefree. You’ll need to call and check: http://www.showmetherent.com/
There is a movement in other areas of the country (and world) toward promoting smokefree housing. You’ll find a wealth of information on the following sites, including links to other sites with information on this topic:
- info on ETS in Apartments
- info on ETS in Condominiums
- related information on smoke-free environments issues
- Michigan Smokefree Apartments
- Michigan Listing
There are also some documents related to different legal approaches to smokefree housing at
Tobacco Control Legal Consortium