Mobile, AL Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- City license
- Required before selling vapor products
- Registration fee
- $150 annually (§ 34-161)
- Excise tax
- 10¢/mL city, 5¢/mL police jurisdiction
- Filing deadline
- 20th of each month
- Max penalty
- $500 per day (§ 34-169)
Summary
Every vape shop in Mobile must hold a city business license plus a $150 annual vapor-product registration, and pay a 10-cent-per-milliliter excise tax on top of standard sales tax.
Each person desiring to engage in the wholesale or retail sale of consumable vapor products in the city and/or in its police jurisdiction must first obtain a business license from the city under the provisions of its current business license ordinance, and any accompanying resolution adopted thereto, as well as the additional license. The amount of excise tax provided for herein shall be additional to and cumulative of all amounts required to be paid for the aforementioned licenses. The licenses must be renewed annually and remain subject to all provisions of the city's general business licensing ordinance.
(Ord. No. 34-047-2025, § 5, 9-30-25)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 34-165 requires anyone selling consumable vapor products at wholesale or retail in Mobile or its police jurisdiction to first obtain a business license under the city's general licensing ordinance, plus the additional $150 annual registration fee defined in Sec. 34-161(10). Sec. 34-162 layers on an excise tax of 10 cents per milliliter of vapor liquid sold inside the corporate limits, or 5 cents per milliliter in the police jurisdiction, due monthly by the 20th with a sworn sales statement under Sec. 34-164. Retailers must also let city inspectors examine their books and premises on demand under Sec. 34-168; violating the article carries a fine of up to $500 per day under Sec. 34-169.
Violations & Fines
Selling vapor products without the required city license or additional registration, or refusing a records inspection, violates the article; penalties run up to $500 per day under Sec. 34-169, with a 20 percent penalty added for late excise-tax payments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mobile require a special license to sell vapes?
How much is Mobile's vape excise tax?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mobile
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