Yes, you can smoke at Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in the designated outdoor areas along the front of the terminal. The airport marks them by the East Entrance and skybridge, the Center Entrance, and the West Entrance and skybridge, and asks smokers to stay at least 10 feet from the doors. The terminal building is smoke-free inside, so all of these sit before the security checkpoint.
Designated Smoking Areas
The airport is unusually clear about this. Its terminal-map page states that “in accordance with Michigan Law and City of Grand Rapids ordinance, all areas within the terminal building are designated as smoke-free,” adds that smoking and the use of e-cigarettes are prohibited within 10 feet of entrances to the building, and then says: “To accommodate our smoking patrons, smoking is permitted outside, in designated areas only.” Its FAQ page repeats the same rule and points to a map of the locations.
That map — the airport’s “Designated Public Smoking Areas” diagram — shows the spots strung along the terminal frontage rather than gathered in one place: near the East Entrance and its skybridge, near the Center Entrance, and near the West Entrance and its skybridge. Whichever door you come out of on the curb side, there is a marked area within a short walk. The 10-foot rule is the thing to watch, so step away from the doorway before you light up.
After Security
There is no smoking area past the TSA checkpoint at GRR. Concourse A, Concourse B and the post-security Marketplace are all inside the terminal building, which the ordinance covers in full, and The Club GRR lounge on Concourse A is a smoke-free indoor space.
The practical approach is to finish your cigarette at one of the marked outdoor areas before you check in and screen. If you are already airside, you have to leave the secure area, walk out to the curb front, and pass back through the checkpoint — plan on 30 to 45 minutes. GRR is a compact airport with a single checkpoint, so the walk itself is short and the re-screening is the part that takes the time. Our guide to smoking during layovers has the same calculation for connecting itineraries.
How Grand Rapids Airport Is Laid Out
GRR is a single terminal. Arriving on the curb you pass Doors 1 to 7 along the frontage, with skybridges from the parking garage feeding the east and west ends. Inside is the Grand Hall with ticketing, the security checkpoint, and beyond it the Marketplace concession area and two concourses: Concourse A running from gate A1 to A16, and Concourse B from B1 to B8. Baggage claim, rental cars and ground transportation sit at the same level as the curb.
The airport has been rebuilding itself under a capital program it calls Elevate, which has already added over 90,000 square feet to Concourse A along with eight extra gates and new concessions, and which also covers a terminal enhancement project, a consolidated rental car facility and a relocated air traffic control tower. None of that work has added an indoor smoking facility — every smoking area at GRR remains outdoors, and construction can shift which entrance is easiest to reach, so follow the signage on the day.
Eight airlines serve Grand Rapids — Allegiant, American, Avelo, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Sun Country and United — with nonstop flights to more than 35 US cities. GRR handled 4,303,696 passengers in 2025 according to the airport’s own aviation activity report, up about 3 percent on 2024. Michigan’s other big gateway runs the same outdoor-only policy: see smoking at Detroit Metropolitan.
E-Cigarettes and Vaping
The City of Grand Rapids ordinance that keeps the terminal smoke-free explicitly includes e-cigarettes, and the airport states that vaping is permitted outside in the designated areas only, on the same terms as cigarettes. The airport also notes that TSA does not treat e-cigarettes as a prohibited item, so you can pack a vape device in your carry-on bag; they are not permitted in checked luggage.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal interior | No | Smoke-free under Michigan law and city ordinance |
| Concourse A and Concourse B | No | Nothing past the checkpoint; exit and re-screen |
| The Club GRR lounge | No | Post-security lounge, smoke-free indoors |
| Terminal front, outdoors | Yes | Designated areas by the east, center and west entrances |
| Vaping and e-cigarettes | Outdoor only | Same designated areas as cigarettes |
For USA airport smoking rules, state vape rules, lighter rules at TSA, and other federal/state info, see our USA smoking guide.