The smoking ban in Allegheny County bars and restaurants has been snuffed again, at least temporarily.

A state appellate court on Tuesday issued a stay on the smoking ban, Allegheny County Solicitor Michael Wojcik said.

The ban on smoking took effect at midnight Monday when Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Michael A. Della Vecchia declined to extend an injunction he issued in January that delayed its implementation.

But Commonwealth Court Judge James Gardner Collins effectively overruled Della Vecchia when he granted a request for a temporary injunction.

Wojcik said the injunction request was filed by an attorney for Mitchell's Restaurant and Bar and the Smithfield Cafe, the restaurants that filed the original suit.

The stay will be in place indefinitely, Wojcik said.