Thai Beach Smoking Ban: 24 Beaches, Fine to THB 100,000

Skip the cigarette on Patong, Hua Hin, Bo Phut and the other named beaches, unless you stand in a smoking area that officials provide. The ban covers butts too, on 24 beaches in 15 provinces. Breaking the order carries up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to THB 100,000, or both.

Can you smoke on the beach? Only in a designated spot: expect to walk to a designated spot on Patong or Hua Hin beach, because lighting up elsewhere breaks a Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) order. Dropping a cigarette butt breaks it too. The same order bans dumping waste and any act that damages the beach.

Which beaches are covered

The DMCR order names 24 beaches in 15 provinces, from Trat to Trang.

Pattaya’s listed beach is Dongtan, not the main Pattaya beach or Jomtien. The list does not name Karon, Kata, Kamala, Chaweng, Lamai, Ao Nang or Jomtien. The covered stretch of each beach is the one set out on the map attached to the order.

What the order bans

The order bans three things on a listed beach: smoking or dropping cigarette butts, dumping waste, and any act that damages or may damage the beach. Clause 2(1) is the smoking rule.

(๑) สูบบุหรี่หรือทิ้งก้นบุหรี่ บริเวณชายหาด เว้นแต่เป็นการสูบบุหรี่หรือทิ้งก้นบุหรี่ ในบริเวณพื้นที่หรือในสถานที่ที่เจ้าหน้าที่ หรือหน่วยงานราชการได้จัดไว้

(1) smoking or dropping cigarette butts on the beach, except smoking or dropping butts in an area or place that officials or a government agency has provided.

DMCR order, clause 2(1), Royal Gazette 13 August 2020 (editor’s translation)

Walk to the provided smoking point before you light up. Local administrations and the officials of the relevant state agencies enforce the order within their own areas.

The order does not apply to state officials working to protect marine resources, academic research the DMCR Director-General permits in writing, state projects for the public benefit, or anything concerning state security.

The penalty

Breaking the order carries up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to THB 100,000, or both. Both figures are “up to” limits.

ผู้ใดฝ่าฝืนหรือไม่ปฏิบัติตามคำสั่งนี้ ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินหนึ่งปี หรือปรับไม่เกินหนึ่งแสนบาท หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ ตามความในมาตรา ๒๗ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติส่งเสริมการบริหารจัดการทรัพยากรทางทะเลและชายฝั่ง พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๘

Whoever violates or fails to comply with this order faces imprisonment not exceeding one year, or a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand baht, or both, under section 27 of the Marine and Coastal Resources Management Promotion Act B.E. 2558.

DMCR order, clause 7, Royal Gazette 13 August 2020 (editor’s translation)

Is the ban still in force?

The current order was published on 13 August 2020 and stays in force for two years. The DMCR still described the ban as binding in October 2022, so treat it as applied on the listed beaches and ask the beach office about any newer order.

Vape rules are separate. See Thailand’s vape law for the import ban. For other fines tourists meet, see fines for tourists in Thailand.

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Not confirmed: A newer order after the two-year term of the 2020 order was not found. Ask the beach office or the DMCR before you rely on the fine at a specific beach. For beaches off the list, ask the beach office whether a local or national park rule applies. The order does not mention vapes.

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