Can You Smoke in Wisconsin Hotels? Understanding the State's Smoke-Free Air Law

Under Wisconsin's Smoke-Free Air Law (Act 12), smoking is prohibited in virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces, and this includes hotels and motels. The ban covers all indoor areas: guest rooms, lobbies, hallways, restaurants, bars, meeting rooms, and common areas.

The Limited Exception

The law provides a narrow exception for designated smoking rooms, but the requirements are strict:

• The room(s) must be completely enclosed with solid walls and doors.
• They must have a separate, dedicated ventilation system that exhausts directly to the outside and does not recirculate air to non-smoking areas.
• The hotel must designate these rooms in writing and maintain a smoke-free policy for all other rooms.

In practice, very few hotels maintain such rooms due to the cost and complexity of compliance. Most major chains and independent properties in Wisconsin are now 100% smoke-free indoors.

Outdoor Restrictions

Additionally, smoking is prohibited within 8 feet of any entrance, exit, or operable window of a public building or workplace, including hotels. This means you cannot smoke right outside the lobby doors or near ground-floor room windows.

Bottom line: Assume your Wisconsin hotel is entirely smoke-free. If you smoke, ask at check-in about designated outdoor smoking areas, which are typically located away from entrances and air intakes.