Contra Costa County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)

Ordinance Code Section 445-10.002 makes it unlawful to conduct tobacco retailing in the unincorporated area without a valid tobacco retailer's license for each selling location. 'Tobacco retailer' and 'tobacco product' are defined in Section 445-2.006 to include any electronic smoking device that contains or can deliver nicotine, such as vapes and e-cigarettes, so a vape shop needs the same license as a cigarette counter. The county will not issue a license that authorizes sales from anything but a fixed location (foot or vehicle-based sales are banned outright), that authorizes sales inside a pharmacy, or that would push the countywide total above ninety licenses.

Applications go to the tax collector under Section 445-10.008 and must be renewed annually between July 1 and June 30. The tax collector can deny a license for an incomplete application, an active suspension at that location, an unlawful land use, or an unpaid fine. Section 445-10.016 lets the director revoke a license for the same grounds, an unpaid fee, or an illegal transfer, after a noticed hearing before the public health director with a right of appeal to the board of supervisors. Section 445-10.018 lets the director suspend a license for up to thirty days on a first violation of any tobacco law, ninety days for a second violation within five years, and up to a year for a third or later violation within five years.