The Marietta City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to ban smoking in Marietta Square's Glover Park.

Council members voted on the ban a week after they received complaints about excessive smoking on the square during a concert. The ban was sponsored by council members Annette Lewis and Holly Walquist.

"I'm very pleased," Walquist told the Marietta Daily Journal. "I think it's the first step to make it so that people can come to Glover Park and know that they're at a park and they can breathe fresh air."

Not everyone was happy the ban passed.

"I thought it was a free country," Tavares Copley told WSB. "If a person chooses to smoke, then they should smoke, as long as they're not inside of a building."

The ban goes into effect today. Anyone caught smoking in the park could face a fine of up to $500.

Later this month, the council will discuss a smoking ban for all of Marietta's parks.

Other Georgia governments that ban smoking in parks include Clayton, Tift and Henry counties, the city of Gainseville and the Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority.

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Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com