Rockford considering rules for potential future hookah lounges

ROCKFORD (WREX) — Smoking is banned indoors across Illinois, but that doesn't apply to hookah lounges.. Now, two applicants are interested in bringing hookah lounges to Rockford and the city said it's trying to create an ordinance so it could regulate them.

Right now there are no regulations in the city for hookah lounges, meaning it has no rules about how the businesses should operate and what guidelines they should follow.

Some rules aldermen will look at include making sure the hookah lounges can't sell liquor and that they would have to be in their own stand-alone location and not, for example, in a strip mall.

Full city council will take a look at this issue on March 1.