Which US cities ban smoking in public parks? Here are five.

New York City lawmakers voted Feb. 2, 2011 to ban smoking outdoors in public parks, public beaches, and even Times Square. In all, almost 500 cities, counties, and towns have banned smoking in public parks. Here are five big cities that have done so.

3. San Francisco

Jeff Chiu/AP
A group of pedestrians walk along a path at Alamo Square Park in San Francisco on Jan. 11.

San Francisco bans smoking in public parks and, for that matter, in any public open space under the jurisdiction of a city department or the Recreation and Park Commission. When approved in 2004, the ban was one of the strictest to date. It applies to many public spaces: parks, squares, gardens, playing fields, piers, and farmers' markets. (Piers used for commercial purposes are not covered by the ban.)

Smoking is not allowed in playgrounds or "tot lot" sandbox areas, either, but that's by order of the California Health and Safety Code.

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