Vote Moves County Nearer Smoking Ban

The King County Board of Health on Friday adopted a resolution that recommends smoking be banned in restaurants.

The next step is for the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health to write specific regulations for making the recommendation law.

Board chairman Greg Nickels, who is a King County councilman, said he expects the board to act upon the department’s proposals within six months.

The ban would not apply to bars.

In addition to banning smoking in restaurants, the resolution also recommends that tobacco advertising be prohibited on billboards within 1,000 feet of schools and playgrounds.