Seventeen years after Türkiye expanded its nationwide indoor smoking ban to restaurants, cafes and other privately operated venues, authorities in Istanbul have carried out more than 1.3 million inspections over the past five years, imposing nearly TL 695 million ($14.7 million) in fines on businesses that violated the rules.
Data obtained by Anadolu Agency (AA) from the Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate showed that inspection teams checked 1,349,147 businesses between 2022 and the first half of 2026. During that period, 25,970 businesses were found allowing smoking in enclosed spaces and were fined a total of TL 694.7 million.
Authorities also temporarily closed 681 businesses for repeated violations, while 1,958 individuals received administrative fines.
The indoor smoking ban, which came into force on July 19, 2009, prohibits smoking in virtually all enclosed public spaces, including restaurants, coffeehouses, cafeterias and pubs, with private residences remaining the only exception.
The measure was introduced to protect non-smokers from exposure to secondhand smoke.
