Mendocino County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Mendocino County Code § 6.20.020
- License term
- One year, renewed annually
- Renewal deadline
- At least 30 days before expiration
- Issuing agency
- Mendocino County Public Health Department
- Transferability
- Nontransferable between persons or locations
- Repeat-violation bar
- 3rd violation bars new license permanently
Summary
Anyone selling tobacco products in unincorporated Mendocino County must hold a valid Tobacco Retailer's license for each fixed location under Mendocino County Code Section 6.20.020. No license can authorize sales at other than a fixed site, and the license runs one year, renewable through the county Public Health Department at least 30 days before expiration.
It shall be unlawful for any Person to act as a Tobacco Retailer without first obtaining and maintaining a valid Tobacco Retailer's license pursuant to this Chapter for each location at which that activity is to occur. No license may be issued to authorize Tobacco Retailing at other than a fixed location. The payment of the license fee designated in Section 6.20.060 confers paid status upon a license for a term of one (1) year. Each Tobacco Retailer shall apply for the renewal of his or her Tobacco Retailer's license no later than thirty (30) days prior to expiration of the payment term.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
020, adopted by Ordinance No. 4474 on November 17, 2020, and amended by Ordinance No. 4505 in 2022, makes it unlawful to act as a Tobacco Retailer in the unincorporated county without first obtaining and maintaining a valid Tobacco Retailer's license for each fixed location; no license may authorize retailing at other than a fixed site, so mobile or pop-up tobacco sales are barred outright. 030, naming every person conducting the sales and disclosing any prior license suspension or revocation. 060, calculated to recover the county's administration and enforcement costs, including inspections and compliance checks, but capped at the program's actual cost; fees are not prorated or refunded mid-year.
070: a change of ownership requires a brand-new license application. 040, that the application is false or incomplete, that a suspension or revocation is in effect, that the retailer owes delinquent fees, or that the retailer has three or more chapter violations within the prior 60 months. 050, and renewal applications are due at least 30 days before the current term expires.
Violations & Fines
Selling tobacco without a valid license triggers ineligibility tiers under Section 6.20.090(a): a first violation at a location bars a new license there for one year, a second bars it for three years, and a third bars it permanently absent an arm's-length sale of the business. An unlicensed seller must also pull tobacco from public view and remove related advertising, or face administrative fines under Section 6.20.100 running $100 to $500 per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell tobacco at a farmers market stall or pop-up in Mendocino County?
How much does the Mendocino County tobacco retailer license cost?
What happens to the license if I buy a store that already sells tobacco?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mendocino County
California rules heatmap·Compare Mendocino County to another location·View the California business licensing & operations overview
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