Aurora, CO Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)

Selling vaping devices, tobacco or age-restricted hemp/kratom products in Aurora requires a tobacco and age-restricted psychoactive product retail license from the city's local licensing authority, renewed annually. A business counts as a "vape store, smoke shop or head shop" once 15% or more of its floor space is devoted to those products, or they generate 50% or more of sales. Such stores cannot exceed 2,500 square feet, must sit at least 2,000 feet from any other vape store/smoke shop/head shop, at least 1,500 feet from a school, and at least 500 feet from any other tobacco retailer, and cannot operate as a home occupation or from a mobile location. Pre-existing stores that would violate the spacing or size rules keep an exception as long as they don't close for more than 60 consecutive days or substantially change the premises.