Paramount, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited in C-3
- Smoke shops or tobacco shops, § 17.24.040(E)
- Prohibited in C-M
- Smoke shops or tobacco shops, § 17.28.060(D)
- Definition
- Premises dedicated to display or sale of tobacco products or paraphernalia
- Exempt
- Grocery, supermarket, convenience store, kiosk with accessory tobacco sales
- Misdemeanor penalty
- Fine up to $300.00 or up to 90 days in County Jail
- Tobacco window signs
- At least 42 inches above the interior floor in C-3
Summary
In the City of Paramount, California, smoke shops and tobacco shops are listed as prohibited uses in the C-3 General Commercial zone and the C-M Commercial-Manufacturing zone. The Zoning Code defines the use as premises dedicated to selling tobacco, tobacco products or paraphernalia, and exempts grocery, convenience and kiosk accessory sales.
D. Pawn shops; E. Smoke shops or tobacco shops. For purposes of this section, trucks or commercial vehicles, which include truck tractors, truck trailers, or any combination thereof, are defined in Section 10.12.070 of this Code.
Full Breakdown
This is a zoning prohibition in Title 17, not a licensing chapter. Paramount Municipal Code § 17.24.040 lists the prohibited uses in Chapter 17.24, the C-3 General Commercial classification, and item E is smoke shops or tobacco shops. Section 17.28.060 repeats the ban for Chapter 17.28, the C-M Commercial-Manufacturing classification, where it is item D. The history note on § 17.24.040 shows Ordinance 1198 (April 22, 2025).
The definition in § 17.04.010 decides what the ban reaches. A smoke shop or tobacco shop is any premises dedicated to the display, sale, distribution, delivery, or offering of tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco paraphernalia. The definition carves out grocery stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, retail kiosks, or similar uses that only sell conventional cigars, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or tobacco as an accessory tobacco sale use. A dedicated vape shop is therefore a smoke shop or tobacco shop in the City of Paramount, while a convenience store selling e-cigarettes as an accessory item is not.
The same C-3 prohibited list also bars pawn shops, along with the storage of trucks or commercial vehicles owned independently of a primary licensed business, and truck yards. Those truck and commercial vehicle terms are defined by reference to § 10.12.070 of the Code.
Tobacco also appears in the C-3 sign standards. Under § 17.24.080(D)(2)(b), window signs advertising alcohol and/or tobacco must be placed a minimum of 42 inches above the interior floor. Anyone planning a tobacco-focused retail business in Paramount should confirm the zone with the Planning Department before signing a lease, because the prohibition is tied to the zone and the dedicated-use definition.
Violations & Fines
Operating a prohibited use violates Title 17, which makes any violation a misdemeanor under § 17.04.130: a fine of not more than $300.00, up to 90 days in the County Jail, or both. Each day the use continues is a separate offense, and a use maintained contrary to the title is a public nuisance. An enforcement officer can also issue an administrative citation under Chapter 1.08.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a vape shop in Paramount's C-3 zone?
Does the ban apply in the C-M zone too?
Can a convenience store still sell cigarettes and e-cigarettes?
What is the penalty for running a prohibited use?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Paramount
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