Orem, UT Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- Community-location buffer
- 1,000 feet
- Buffer from another tobacco shop
- 600 feet
- Residential/agricultural buffer
- 600 feet
- Citywide cap
- 1 per 25,000 residents
- Triggering threshold
- 35% of receipts or 20% of floor/shelf space
Summary
A retail tobacco specialty business in Orem, a shop built around vape, e-cigarette, or tobacco sales, can't sit within 1,000 feet of a school or park, 600 feet of another such shop, or 600 feet of residential or agricultural land, and the City caps the total citywide at one per 25,000 residents.
Separation Requirement. Pursuant to Utah Code Section 10-8-41.6(4), no retail tobacco specialty business may be located within: 1,000 feet of a community location; 600 feet of another retail tobacco specialty business; or 600 feet from property used or zoned for agricultural or residential use. ... No more than one retail tobacco specialty business shall be allowed for every 25,000 citizens living in the City of Orem.
Full Breakdown
6. to the nearest property boundary," without regard to intervening buildings or zoning lines. On top of the separation rule, Orem caps the citywide total: "No more than one retail tobacco specialty business shall be allowed for every 25,000 citizens living in the City of Orem," and each separate physical location counts toward that cap. Because the cap and separation rules apply to the specialty-business definition rather than to every store that carries cigarettes, a grocery or convenience store selling tobacco as a minor part of its business generally falls outside Section 22-14-21(D) unless it crosses the 35%-of-receipts or 20%-of-floor-space thresholds.
Violations & Fines
A retail tobacco specialty business that opens inside a barred buffer, or that pushes the City over its one-per-25,000-residents cap, is operating in violation of Section 22-14-21(D) and can be denied or have its business license revoked by the City. As with other Chapter 22 zoning violations, a knowing violation carries the Section 22-1-6 penalty: a Class C misdemeanor, up to a $500 fine, and up to three months in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a store a 'retail tobacco specialty business' under Orem's code?
How far must a vape shop be from a school in Orem?
Is there a limit on how many vape shops Orem allows?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orem
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Tobacco Retail License in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Utah County handle tobacco retail license.