Bossier Parish, LA Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning status
- Permitted by right in B-3 district
- Governing section
- Sec. 126-738(b)(1)
- Local retail license
- None found in Chapter 22
- Special exception required
- No
- Coverage
- Unincorporated area within five miles of Benton
Summary
Bossier Parish does not license tobacco or vape retailers separately; its only local control is zoning. 'Tobacco store' is listed as a use permitted by right in the B-3 community and central business district within five miles of Benton, requiring no special exception or dedicated retail license.
Sec. 126-738. - B-3 community and central business districts. ... (b)Permitted uses. Only the following uses are permitted in B-3 districts:(1)Uses by right. The following uses are permitted, subject to the conditions specified: ... Tobacco store.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 126-738(b)(1) of the Bossier Parish Code lists 'Tobacco store' among the uses permitted by right in the B-3 community and central business district, one of the zoning districts within the five-mile Benton planning area governed by Chapter 126, Article III. As a by-right use, a tobacco store in a B-3 district needs no board of adjustment special exception and no planning commission site plan review, only compliance with the district's ordinary building site, yard and height standards under Sec. 126-738(c)-(f). The parish's own code does not contain a separate business chapter provision licensing tobacco or vapor retailers; Chapter 22, 'Businesses,' regulates only sexually oriented businesses and an insurance premium license tax, with no occupational license requirement for general retailers such as tobacco or vape stores.
State alcohol and tobacco control licensing, administered by the state commissioner of alcohol and tobacco control referenced in Chapter 6's definitions, sits outside the parish's own ordinance and is not reproduced in this code. Locating a tobacco store outside the B-3, I-1 or similar commercial and industrial districts where it is not listed as a permitted use would require rezoning or a use interpretation from the planning commission under Sec. 126-695.
Violations & Fines
Operating a tobacco store on land zoned outside a district that lists it as a permitted use, without first obtaining rezoning or a new-use classification from the planning commission under Sec. 126-695, is a Code violation under Sec. 126-815(1). Absent a specific fine, the Code's general penalty in Sec. 1-13 applies: up to $500.00, imprisonment up to 30 days, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bossier Parish require a special license to sell tobacco or vapes?
Where can I open a tobacco store in unincorporated Bossier Parish?
What if I want to put a tobacco store in a district that doesn't list it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bossier Parish
Compare Bossier Parish to another location·View the Louisiana business licensing & operations overview
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