Hackensack, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- License fee
- $1,200 per year
- Effective date
- August 1, 2019
- Issued by
- Health Department, within 14 days
- License expires
- December 31 annually
- Fine range
- $1,000 to $2,500
- Transferability
- Not transferable by sale
Summary
Hackensack requires any establishment that sells electronic smoking devices, including e-cigarettes, vape pens and related products, to hold an annual license from the City before opening. Effective August 1, 2019, the license costs $1,200 a year, expires every December 31, and cannot be transferred to a new owner or location. The Health Department and Police Department enforce it, with fines up to $2,500 per violation.
Effective August 1, 2019, no person shall conduct, maintain or operate an establishment that sells electronic smoking devices without first obtaining from the City of Hackensack a license to do so. ... The annual fee for a license to sell an electronic smoking device shall be $1,200 and shall expire on the 31st day of December of each year, unless otherwise forfeited or revoked pursuant to this article. ... No license is transferable by sale or otherwise.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4592721; v20 updated 2026-01-06; through 01-06-2026).
Full Breakdown
Article IX of Chapter 90, adopted 6-25-2019 by Ord. No. 31-2019, created a standalone license for 'retail electronic smoking device establishments,' defined as any establishment that sells or offers for sale electronic smoking device products designed for consumption through inhalation, covering e-cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and pipes and their liquids. Effective August 1, 2019, no one may conduct, maintain or operate such an establishment in Hackensack without first obtaining a license from the City under Section 90-62. The annual fee is $1,200, prorated for a license issued mid-year (a license issued August 1, 2019 and expiring December 31, 2019 cost $500), and every license expires December 31 unless forfeited or revoked.
Licenses are not transferable by sale or otherwise, so a change of ownership requires a fresh application. Applicants file a written application with the Health Department on the City's form along with the correct fee under Section 90-63; if the file is complete and requirements are met, the Health Department issues the license within 14 days, and if the application is incomplete or subject to denial, the applicant is notified in writing within that same 14-day window. The license must be posted in a conspicuous place in the establishment or, for an itinerant establishment, kept readily available for display.
Enforcement runs through the Hackensack Health Officer and the Hackensack Police Department under Section 90-64, who may order an operator found in violation to immediately cease selling electronic smoking devices.
Violations & Fines
Section 90-65 sets a fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $2,500 for any violation of the licensing article, though the City withheld fines for the first 60 days after the ordinance's publication in 2019. Selling without a license, operating an unposted license or continuing sales after an enforcement order to cease under Section 90-64 all expose an operator to that fine range and possible referral for license revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to sell vapes in Hackensack?
Can I transfer my vape retail license to a new owner?
What happens if I sell electronic smoking devices without a license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hackensack
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