Coral Gables, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 500 feet from any school
- Variance allowed
- None: explicitly barred
- Measurement point
- Main entrance to school grounds
- Vape shop threshold
- 25% floor area or 51% sales
Summary
Coral Gables bars vape shops and vape-product retailers from operating within 500 feet of any school, with no variances allowed under the zoning code.
No Vape Shop or any retail business engaged in the sale of vape-related products shall be permitted upon premises closer than five hundred (500) feet from any school. The distance shall be measured by following a straight line from the main entrance of the proposed establishment to the nearest point of the school grounds. There shall be no variances of the above distance requirements granted for any reason.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Fee Schedule: Supplement 2 | Zoning Code: Supplement 1 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 25 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Under Zoning Code Section 3-505, no vape shop or any retail business selling vape-related products may locate within 500 feet of a school, measured in a straight line from the establishment's main entrance to the nearest school-grounds point. The code expressly rules out any variance from this distance, a stricter stance than the discretionary variance path allowed for other distance-separated uses like package alcohol sales in the same article. A "vape shop" is separately defined in the code as a retailer where at least 25% of retail floor area displays vapor-generating devices and related accessories, or where such products drive 51% or more of quarterly gross sales, and the retailer must keep records available for city inspection to prove which threshold applies.
Violations & Fines
Locating or operating a vape shop within the 500-foot school buffer violates Section 3-505; as a zoning-code distance restriction it is enforced through the city's code compliance process, which can pursue a notice of violation, code enforcement board proceedings, and fines under the city's general zoning-enforcement provisions until the establishment relocates or ceases the disqualifying use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a vape shop get a variance for the 500-foot rule?
What counts as a "vape shop" under this rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coral Gables
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