ATLAirport Guide

Smoking at ATL: where the outdoor zones are

ATL bans smoking and vaping inside. Six outdoor zones sit at least 25 feet from the terminal doors, and breaking the rule can cost up to $200.

An empty sidewalk with a bench and an ash urn outside the Domestic Terminal at Atlanta airport.
Outside the terminal

ATL doesn’t allow smoking or vaping inside. Outside, it designates smoking zones at the Domestic and International terminals, each at least 25 feet from the terminal entrance. Our smoking areas page says anyone who breaks the rule indoors faces a civil penalty of up to $200. The Atlanta Police Department enforces it, under ordinance 19-O-1205 as ATL cites it.

Where the six zones are

ATL’s list gives six locations.

Location Doors
Domestic Terminal North, Lower Level Doors LN1 and LN2
Domestic Terminal North, Main Door N1, and the area between Doors N3 and N4
Domestic Terminal South, Lower Level Doors LS1 and LS2
Domestic Terminal South, Main The area between Doors S1 and S2, the area between Doors S4 and S5, and Door S6
International Terminal, Departures (Upper Level) Doors D1 and D3
International Terminal, Arrivals (Lower Level) Doors A1 and A3

People under 18 can’t smoke in the zones.

N and S are the North and South sides of the Domestic Terminal. An L marks the lower level. At the International Terminal, D and A are departures and arrivals. Our terminals page shows how the two terminals sit.

What counts as smoking and vaping

ATL defines smoking as inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying a lighted tobacco product, including cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco, so a lit cigarette carried through the terminal counts.

ATL defines vapor products as noncombustible products that turn nicotine into vapor. That includes electronic cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and pipes, plus their cartridges.

Smoking during a layover

ATL’s list of smoking zones has none past security, though the airport’s terminal map says smoking is permitted at Sojourner’s Cafe on Concourse E. Outside that, a smoke break during a layover means you leave the secure area. ATL’s page doesn’t say how long the way back in takes. For that way back in, our security page lists each checkpoint’s published hours.

Sources