Carver County Public Health (Public Health) is dedicated to reducing tobacco-related illness and death in individuals who live, work, learn and play in Carver County. Public Health works in the community to provide information, education and outreach to support tobacco and smoke-free environments, and encourage quitting among adults and youth. Public Health can also provide assistance to businesses, multi-unit housing property owners and managers, and community leaders interested in establishing tobacco and smoke-free environments.

To protect residents and visitors from secondhand smoke exposure, Carver County works to create tobacco-free and smoke-free environments. These environments include:

• Worksites
• Multi-unit housing units
• Parks and outdoor areas, including play areas for children
• Business properties
• Childcare centers
• Farmer's Markets
• Community gardens

Tobacco Use in Carver County and Minnesota

• 14% of adults in Carver County (14.4% in Minnesota overall) currently smoke tobacco (Source: 2015 County Health Rankings)
• 3.6% of adults in Minnesota have used smokeless tobacco in the past 30 days (Source: 2014 MATS)
• 36% of nonsmoking adults in Minnesota are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home, car, or community each week
• E-cigarette use in the past 30 days has increased among all age groups in Minnesota since 2010; 18-24 year olds have the highest 30-day prevalence (12.8%) (Source: 2014 MATS)

Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing

Secondhand smoke - the smoke that comes from a lighted tobacco or vaping product - can contain more than 4,000 chemicals. At least 250 of these chemicals are known to be toxins, and more than 50 can cause cancer.

The Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act (MCIAA) prohibits smoking in all common areas of apartment buildings. Under the MCIAA, landlords are allowed to strengthen these rules and adopt a smoke-free policy for the entire building. A number of multi-unit housing properties in Carver County have passed smoke-free policies to protect tenants from the negative health risks of secondhand smoke.

The smoke-free housing directory is a tool to search smoke-free properties in Carver County and Minnesota.

Tobacco-Free Open Spaces

Each year in Minnesota, more than 14,000 young people under the age of 18 become new daily smokers. More astonishingly, 123,000 youth under the age of 18 will ultimately die prematurely from smoking. Supporting tobacco-free open spaces makes sense because tobacco use is unhealthy and an unnecessary behavior.

Carver County Public Health has worked with child care centers, manufactured home communities, community gardens, community parks, Farmer’s Markets and businesses to create outdoor spaces that are free from tobacco.

The tobacco-free outdoor recreational area directory lists all counties in Minnesota that have smoke-free outdoor recreational policies.

Tobacco 21

Tobacco 21 is the initiative to increase the minimum sale age for tobacco products to 21 years. A national consensus is growing to prevent addictions and future health problems by ensuring that those who sell tobacco products do so to those who are 21 and older.  

• Tobacco 21 Fact Sheet
• Tobacco 21 PowerPoint

Additional Information

• Public Health Law Center - Tobacco Control
• Regulating smoking in multi-unit housing
• State and Federal Health Leaders Emphasize the Need to Combat the Youth E-Cigarette Epidemic

Please contact Public Health at (952) 361-1329 for more information about the information shared on this website. For information on quitting tobacco, please visit the Tobacco Prevention and Education page in the Health and Wellness section.