Report: Civil Lounge Violates Smoking Ban, Group Claims

Is the new Civil Cigar Lounge in the recently renovated Chevy Chase Pavilion allowed to let its patrons smoke, even with Washington, DC's smoking ban?

Not without an exemption, says Smokefree D.C., the group that advocated for the smoking ban that went into effect in DC in 2007.

Last week, the organization wrote Mayor Vincent Gray and the DC City Council a letter "alleging that Civil and a number of other establishments in the city—primarily hookah bars—were violating the letter of the law," DCist reported.

"According to the group, none of the establishments has been properly granted an exemption to the provisions of the law, despite possibly being eligible for one. As such, for every time someone takes in a breath of smoke at any of the offending establishments, the owner or smoker could be fined between $100 and $1,000 for a first offense," DCist added.

Read more about the exemption process and the restaurants that Smokefree D.C. says are in violation of the smoking ban on DCist.com.