Can people smoke on their balconies in Norway?

I am visiting a friend in Norway, and at the apartment I am staying there is a single balcony, that is used for access by all the apartments of the floor.

In Norway you are not allowed to smoke inside, so I used this balcony for smoking.

Several neighbors have seen me smoking there the past days, and didn't comment anything. But last night, while I was smoking on this balcony, a person from a neighboring apartment asked me if I can smoke elsewhere. I was very surprised with his request, so I didn't question him to justify on which grounds he is asking this.

My question is what are the rights of people on their balcony in Norway? Is it legal to smoke on your balcony? Are there any grounds for this request by the neighbor? Or can I safely ignore his request and continue to smoke on the balcony?

Note that this is the only outside space you can smoke at this apartment, as the only alternative is to go three floors down to get outside the building, which is rather inconvenient to do several times a day.

Best Answer

While it is generally not illegal to smoke outdoors in Norway (except where children is involved, they have special protections in the law), as a Norwegian myself, I'll note that smoking on shared balconies is considered quite rude by most people, unless you have cleared it with the other users first. Most people in Norway does not appreciate being subject to smoke or the smell thereof.

A housing association may also forbid smoking on common areas in their own regulations. They are not allowed to do so on private balconies though, although your neighbors will still get very annoyed with you if they feel too exposed to your smoke.

In general, as has been pointed out in other answers and comments here, most Norwegians do not react favorably to being exposed to smoke, and the country have strong laws in place to prevent undesired exposure.