Hanover County, VA Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)

The Zoning Ordinance defines 'Recreational Substances' in Section 26-6 to include any tobacco product such as cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco and pipe tobacco, plus any noncombustible nicotine or vaping-fluid product using a heating or electronic element to produce vapor, along with hemp and kratom products and the pipes, vaporizers and accessories used with them. A 'Recreational Substances, retail store' is any retail establishment devoting fifteen percent or more of its display space to these products, or allowing their on-site use, and the definition specifically excludes convenience stores or other establishments below that fifteen percent threshold.

, and the section adds lighting rules barring exterior lighting that impairs motorists' vision and interior lighting visible from the right-of-way, plus a ban on neon or LED rope lighting. These standards apply unless the Board of Supervisors modifies or conditions them at the time of zoning approval. 8,' meaning a store selling these products at the fifteen-percent threshold needs a Conditional Use Permit from the Board of Supervisors in addition to meeting the operating standards. The standards were adopted by Ord. No. 25-11, Section 7, effective August 27, 2025, and the Planning Department's Zoning Administrator reviews compliance alongside the conditional use approval.