Minneapolis, MN Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- License
- Tobacco dealer's license required
- School distance
- 300 ft from K-12 schools
- Minimum lot
- 3 acres for tobacco shops
- Price floor
- $25 per e-cig device
- Self-service
- Open vape displays prohibited
Summary
Selling vapes or e-cigarettes in Minneapolis requires a tobacco dealer's license under Chapter 281, and new tobacco product shops can't locate within 300 feet of a K-12 school or occupy less than three acres of licensed sales area.
No license shall be issued for a tobacco product shop within three hundred (300) feet from any building space that is used primarily and regularly for any K-12 school, as that term is defined in section 565.200. ... No license shall be issued for a tobacco product shop unless the area for which the license is granted contains at least three (3) acres, including any contiguous area in which any applicable ordinance permits the sale of tobacco.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 72).
Full Breakdown
Any retailer offering an "electronic delivery device" for sale must hold a tobacco dealer's license under Chapter 281 before opening: no sales from a motor vehicle, and self-service displays or self-service sales methods are banned outright. New tobacco product shops face tight siting rules under § 281.120: no license within 300 feet of a K-12 school, and the licensed sales area must total at least three acres, though shops already licensed as of August 1, 2025 are grandfathered. Every electronic delivery device, including refill cartridges and tanks, must also sell for at least $25 per unit under § 281.40(k), and liquid nicotine must ship in child-resistant packaging.
Violations & Fines
First appearance: $500 fine. Second: $1,000 fine plus a 7-day license suspension. Third: $2,000 fine plus a 120-day suspension. Fourth appearance revokes the license, per § 281.90(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special license to sell vapes in Minneapolis?
Can a new vape shop open anywhere in the city?
Is there a minimum price for vape devices?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Minneapolis
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