Louisville, KY Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Annual retailer license from Health Dept
- Violation penalty
- $100-$500 per offense
- School/park buffer
- 1,000 feet minimum
- Allowed hours
- 9 a.m.-8 p.m. only
- Zoned districts
- C-1-C-3, C-M, EZ-1, PEC, M-1-M-3
Summary
Selling vapes or e-cigarettes in Louisville Metro requires an annual retailer license from the Health Department, and new vape shops face 1,000-foot buffers from schools and parks plus fixed 9 a.m.-8 p.m. hours under the Land Development Code.
No person, firm, or corporation shall operate or be permitted to operate as a retailer selling smoking retail store products in or on any premises within Jefferson County unless an annual license for the retailer has been applied for and issued by the Director of the Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness Department, or their designee, for the retailer and the license remains in effect in conformity with the provisions of this subchapter.
(B) To obtain an annual retail license under this Chapter, any application for such license must include a floor plan(s) of the establishment depicting the location(s) and dimension(s) of all retail spaces in which smoking retail store products regulated by a land development code are to be stocked and displayed. The floor plans shall be legible, appropriately labeled, and prepared at measurable architectural scales. An insufficient floor plan may be rejected by the Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness Department, resulting in an incomplete application that shall not be further reviewed or processed. Any change to an approved floor plan, including modifications to the location or dimensions of an applicable retail space, must be approved by the Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness Department in advance of carrying out the change at the establishment. Stocking and/or displaying tobacco, tobacco products, electronic smoking devices, and/or smoking retail store
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-47: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinances passed by the Council and approved by the Mayor as of July 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Louisville Metro Code Section 90.11 requires anyone selling tobacco, e-cigarettes, or other smoking retail store products to hold an annual license from the Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness Department, with a floor plan showing where products are stocked. Licenses run through the following January 1 and cannot transfer between owners or locations. Separately, the Land Development Code's Section 4.3.26 zones new Smoking Retail Stores only into C-1 through C-3, C-M, EZ-1, PEC, M-1, M-2, and M-3 districts, bars them within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, or another such store, and caps hours to 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a valid license, letting one lapse, or violating licensing terms draws a civil penalty of $100 to $500 per offense, plus possible license suspension or revocation by the Health Department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to sell vapes in Louisville Metro?
Can a new vape shop open near a school in Louisville?
What hours can a Louisville vape shop stay open?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Louisville
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