Monterey, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Per fixed location, § 7-2.02
- Non-fixed sales barred
- Carts, flea markets, § 7-2.03
- License term
- July 1 to June 30, § 7-2.06
- First suspension
- 60 days, § 7-2.10(c)
- Fourth violation
- Revoked, 5-year bar
- Stipulated fine
- $1,000 first, $5,000 second
Summary
Selling tobacco, e-cigarettes or vape products in Monterey requires a City tobacco retailer license for every fixed location under City Code § 7-2.02. The license must be obtained before retailing begins, displayed publicly, and renewed annually; violations trigger escalating suspensions of 60, 120 and 180 days before a fourth offense within five years brings a five-year revocation.
a.Any person who is or intends to become a tobacco retailer shall obtain pursuant to this Article a license for each fixed location at which tobacco retailing is to occur. ... b.Any person who is a tobacco retailer as of the effective date of the ordinance enacting this Article shall obtain a license within ninety (90) days of the effective date of the ordinance that enacted this Article.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3721, passed July 7, 2026).
Full Breakdown
02(b). The license must be prominently displayed at the licensed location. 03 bars any license for non-fixed locations, so retailing tobacco on foot, from a vehicle, or at a flea market or farmers' market is unlawful outright. 04). 05). 07). 10(c): a first finding brings a sixty-day suspension, a second within sixty months brings one hundred twenty days, a third brings one hundred eighty days, and a fourth revokes the license with a five-year bar on a new one for that location. 11.
Violations & Fines
Selling tobacco or vape products without a license, or continuing after suspension or revocation, exposes the location to the ineligibility periods in § 7-2.11 and can be prosecuted as an infraction or misdemeanor at the City Attorney's discretion under § 7-2.14. The Department may offer a stipulated fine instead of a hearing: $1,000 and a one-day shutdown for a first violation, $5,000 and a ten-day shutdown for a second within sixty months, under § 7-2.15. Department decisions can be appealed to a Hearing Officer within fourteen calendar days under § 7-2.13.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to sell vapes or e-cigarettes in Monterey?
Can I sell tobacco from a kiosk or at a farmers market?
What happens the first time my store violates the tobacco ordinance?
How long before I lose my tobacco retailer license for good?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Monterey
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Tobacco Retail License in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Monterey County handle tobacco retail license.