Oak Lawn, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Class 2 Tobacco Retailer License
- Village-wide cap
- 12 licenses total
- School buffer
- 100 ft. from schools, day cares, libraries
- Issuing office
- Director of Community Development
- Transferability
- Non-transferable, expires June 30
Summary
Oak Lawn licenses dedicated tobacco and vape retailers as Class 2 Tobacco Retailers, caps the total at 12 village-wide, and requires them to sit at least 100 feet from any school, day care, library, or playground.
Class 2 Tobacco Retailer Licenses shall be issued to any business wishing to sell tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, and/or alternative nicotine products, within the Village, excluding grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, and gasoline stations. Class 2 Tobacco Retailer License authorizes the sale of cigarettes, cigars, and all other tobacco types, as well as electronic cigarettes, and/or alternative nicotine products. It excludes the sale of any product that contains THC, Illicit THC Products, Kratom, or Synthetic Cannabinoids. The authorized number of Class 2 Tobacco Retailer Licenses is set to twelve (12).
D. Any Tobacco Retailer license which is revoked or not issued shall automatically reduce the number of authorized licenses by the total number of revoked or non-issued licenses. The applicant for a Tobacco Retailer license under the provisions of this chapter must apply for the appropriate license and pay the initial annual license fee for such license within fourteen (14) days of authorizing its issuance to the applicant and adoption of the ordinance increasing the number of Tobacco Retailer licenses. In the event any applicant fails to pay the initial license fee within said fourteen (14) day period, such license shall be revoked, and the number of authorized licenses involved is automatically reduced by the number of revocations. (Ords. 21-08-41, 24-05-16, 25-12-36)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-15: Code current through: Ord. 26-09-22, passed April 28, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Oak Lawn treats a smoke or vape shop as a Class 2 Tobacco Retailer, a separate license track from grocery, convenience, liquor, and gas-station sellers. Village Code § 3-15-5(C) caps Class 2 licenses at twelve total, with the count set by the Village President and Board of Trustees and tracked by the Village Clerk. Applicants apply to the Director of Community Development, and a Class 2 applicant must submit a map showing the store isn't within 100 feet of a preschool, school, day care, playground, or library (§ 3-15-3). Licenses run July 1 to June 30, aren't transferable, and require a July 2025 video-surveillance system as of 2026.
Violations & Fines
Selling tobacco, vapes, or nicotine products without the license is unlawful, and the Village President can suspend or revoke a license and levy a fine after a hearing; a revoked license can't be reissued for that address for six months (Oak Lawn Village Code §§ 3-15-2, 3-15-7, 3-15-8).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Oak Lawn cap the number of smoke shops?
How close can a smoke shop be to a school?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oak Lawn
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