No Smoking on Balconies

Source: Adrian J. Adams Esq. 

QUESTION: Burbank has a second-hand smoking ordinance that prohibits smoking of any kind in the common areas. The police will ticket but only if they see the person smoking. What are my enforcement options when residents ignore the ordinance and smoke on their balconies? Can I force the board to take corrective action?

ANSWER: If the CC&Rs require owners to follow the law, then yes, an anti-smoking statute is enforceable via the CC&Rs. Your board can hold hearings and levy fines against the smoker. In addition, smoking can be restricted as a violation of the nuisance provision of the CC&Rs.

Individual Action. If your association refuses to take action, it could face potential liability. Not only can you take action against your association, you can enforce the CC&Rs against your neighbor, unless they provide otherwise. (Civ. Code §5975.) That means you can sue your neighbor for breach of your CC&Rs. For good measure, you can include causes of action for violation of your city’s anti-smoking statute, anti-nuisance statute, and negligence statute. To enforce a statute you must be a party the statute intended to protect, which is the case with the anti-smoking statute.