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LEED v4
Retail – Commercial Interiors
Indoor Environmental Quality

Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control

LEED CREDIT

Retail-CI-v4 EQp2: Environmental tobacco smoke control Required

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Virginia Leary

LEED AP BD+C; TRUE Advisor, Fitwel Advisor

WSP USA
Assistant Consultant

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Requirements

Locate the project in a building that prohibits smoking by all occupants and users both inside the building and outside the building except in designated smoking areas located at least 25 feet (7.5 meters) from all entries, outdoor air intakes, and operable windows. Also prohibit smoking outside the property line in spaces used for business purposes.

If the requirement to prohibit smoking within 25 feet (7.5 meters) cannot be implemented because of code, provide documentation of these regulations.

Signage must be posted within 10 feet (3 meters) of all building entrances indicating the no-smoking policy.

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What does it cost?

Cost estimates for this credit

On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.

Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.

This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.

Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »

Frequently asked questions

Municipal law requires that our building be completely smoke-free inside. It also bans smoking next to the building, but it’s not as stringent as the 25 foot LEED requirement. Do we have to make another policy that bans smoking within 25 feet?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

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We want to designate a smoking area less than 25 feet from an emergency exit. Is this okay since that door is rarely (if ever) used?

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What if I have a zero lot line property and no control over the sidewalk?

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What about vaping and e-cigarettes?

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What about residential balconies?

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See all forum discussions about this credit »

Addenda

10/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Required Documentation section, revise the last documentation requirement in the table so it reads: "Any code restrictions that prevent establishment of no-smoking requirements."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
4/5/2016
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:

We are located in a building that prohibits smoking both inside and outside the building as required by the prerequisite, but our landlord is unwilling to post compliant exterior signage indicating the no-smoking policy. Are there any exceptions to the signage requirement?

Ruling:

Yes, if the landlord is unwilling to post signage within 10 feet (3 meters) of all building entrances, the project may alternatively post signage at the entrance to the project (tenant) space. The project must demonstrate that a request to have exterior signage posted at all building entrances was made and the landlord refused to accommodate the request.

Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
7/2/2018
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:

Inquiry:
Is the smoking of cannabis covered under the Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control prerequisite?

Ruling:

Yes, smoking of cannabis is considered a form of smoking for the purposes of both the interior and exterior smoking provisions of the LEED Prerequisite Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control.

Secondhand cannabis smoke has been shown to contain many of the same chemicals and carcinogens as secondhand tobacco smoke [1].

[1] Moir D, Rickert WS, Levasseur G, et al. A Comparison of Mainstream and Sidestream Marijuana and Tobacco Cigarette Smoke Produced under Two Machine Smoking Conditions. American Chemical Society. 2008;21:494-502.

Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:

Are electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) covered under the Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control prerequisite?

Ruling:

Yes, electronic cigarettes are considered a form of smoking for the purposes of both the interior and exterior smoking provisions of the LEED Prerequisite Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control. As recommended in the December 2013 report[1] prepared for the World Health Organization, “e-cigarettes should be prohibited anywhere where the use of conventional cigarettes is prohibited”. The indoor air quality impacts from electronic cigarettes are not fully characterized, but there is sufficient evidence that electronic cigarettes produce emissions in fine aerosol form that can expose building occupants. For example, according to the report, “several chemicals that have been found in e-cigarette aerosol and e-liquid are on California’s official list of known human carcinogens or reproductive toxicants, including nicotine, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, nickel, lead, toluene(1)”.

[1] Background Paper on E-cigarettes (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems); Grana, R.; Benowitz, N.; Glantz, SA; December 2013; University of California

Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
See all forum discussions about this credit »

Documentation toolkit

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LEEDuser expert

Virginia Leary

LEED AP BD+C; TRUE Advisor, Fitwel Advisor

WSP USA
Assistant Consultant

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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Locate the project in a building that prohibits smoking by all occupants and users both inside the building and outside the building except in designated smoking areas located at least 25 feet (7.5 meters) from all entries, outdoor air intakes, and operable windows. Also prohibit smoking outside the property line in spaces used for business purposes.

If the requirement to prohibit smoking within 25 feet (7.5 meters) cannot be implemented because of code, provide documentation of these regulations.

Signage must be posted within 10 feet (3 meters) of all building entrances indicating the no-smoking policy.

Cost estimates for this credit

On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.

Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.

This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.

Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »

In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:

  • Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
  • Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
  • Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
  • Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
  • Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
  • Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.

Municipal law requires that our building be completely smoke-free inside. It also bans smoking next to the building, but it’s not as stringent as the 25 foot LEED requirement. Do we have to make another policy that bans smoking within 25 feet?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

We want to designate a smoking area less than 25 feet from an emergency exit. Is this okay since that door is rarely (if ever) used?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

What if I have a zero lot line property and no control over the sidewalk?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

What about vaping and e-cigarettes?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

What about residential balconies?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

10/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Required Documentation section, revise the last documentation requirement in the table so it reads: "Any code restrictions that prevent establishment of no-smoking requirements."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
4/5/2016
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:

We are located in a building that prohibits smoking both inside and outside the building as required by the prerequisite, but our landlord is unwilling to post compliant exterior signage indicating the no-smoking policy. Are there any exceptions to the signage requirement?

Ruling:

Yes, if the landlord is unwilling to post signage within 10 feet (3 meters) of all building entrances, the project may alternatively post signage at the entrance to the project (tenant) space. The project must demonstrate that a request to have exterior signage posted at all building entrances was made and the landlord refused to accommodate the request.

Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
7/2/2018
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:

Inquiry:
Is the smoking of cannabis covered under the Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control prerequisite?

Ruling:

Yes, smoking of cannabis is considered a form of smoking for the purposes of both the interior and exterior smoking provisions of the LEED Prerequisite Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control.

Secondhand cannabis smoke has been shown to contain many of the same chemicals and carcinogens as secondhand tobacco smoke [1].

[1] Moir D, Rickert WS, Levasseur G, et al. A Comparison of Mainstream and Sidestream Marijuana and Tobacco Cigarette Smoke Produced under Two Machine Smoking Conditions. American Chemical Society. 2008;21:494-502.

Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:

Are electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) covered under the Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control prerequisite?

Ruling:

Yes, electronic cigarettes are considered a form of smoking for the purposes of both the interior and exterior smoking provisions of the LEED Prerequisite Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control. As recommended in the December 2013 report[1] prepared for the World Health Organization, “e-cigarettes should be prohibited anywhere where the use of conventional cigarettes is prohibited”. The indoor air quality impacts from electronic cigarettes are not fully characterized, but there is sufficient evidence that electronic cigarettes produce emissions in fine aerosol form that can expose building occupants. For example, according to the report, “several chemicals that have been found in e-cigarette aerosol and e-liquid are on California’s official list of known human carcinogens or reproductive toxicants, including nicotine, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, nickel, lead, toluene(1)”.

[1] Background Paper on E-cigarettes (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems); Grana, R.; Benowitz, N.; Glantz, SA; December 2013; University of California

Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes

LEEDuser expert

Virginia Leary

LEED AP BD+C; TRUE Advisor, Fitwel Advisor

WSP USA
Assistant Consultant

See all LEEDuser forum discussions about this credit » Subscribe to new discussions about Retail-CI-v4 EQp2 View the LEED v4.1 version of this credit