Parma, OH Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- Definition threshold
- 20% of floor/shelf/display area
- Permitted districts
- Commercial Manufacturing A and B only
- Density cap
- 1 smoke shop per 10,000 residents
- Vape Shop category repealed
- Ord. 96-25, passed 7-7-25
- Zoning violation penalty
- Misdemeanor of the first degree
Summary
Parma restricts smoke and vape shops, defined in the Zoning Code as any retailer devoting twenty percent or more of its floor, shelf or display space to tobacco, nicotine, CBD, kratom or electronic smoking devices, to the Commercial Manufacturing "A" and "B" Districts, and the Planning and Zoning Code caps the total number citywide at one such store for every 10,000 residents.
“Smoke shop” means any retail establishment at which twenty percent or more of floor, shelf, and/or display area(s), individually or in the aggregate, is used for the sale of the following type of products: ... (2) Any product containing, made of, or derived from tobacco or containing any form of nicotine that is intended for human consumption or is likely to be consumed, whether smoked, heated, chewed, dissolved, inhaled, absorbed, or ingested by any other means, including, but not limited to, a cigarette, a cigar, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff, or snus; (3) Any electronic smoking device as defined in R.C. § 2927.02 and any substance intended to be aerosolized or vaporized during the use of the device, whether the substance contains any form of tobacco, nicotine, CBD, Kratom, and/or hemp-derived or synthetic cannabinoids; or ... The number of such businesses shall not exceed one per every 10,000, or portion thereof, of the population of the City.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-30: Local legislation current to August 3, 2026 | State legislation current to June 25, 2025).
Full Breakdown
02" together with the liquids vaporized in it, plus related accessories like filters, rolling papers and pipes. C. Chapters 3780 and 3796 are carved out, as are FDA-authorized drugs or devices. 485, which the same ordinance repealed outright. 03. Of Parma's five Commercial/Office Districts, a smoke shop is permitted only in the Commercial Manufacturing "A" and "B" Districts; it is not a permitted use in the Office Building, Retail Business or Shopping Center Districts. Footnote 10 to that schedule then caps the citywide total: "The number of such businesses shall not exceed one per every 10,000, or portion thereof, of the population of the City," the same density formula the code applies to check-cashing outlets and car washes.
A business owner must confirm both the zoning district and the current count against that population ratio with the Planning and Zoning Department before opening, since a location that fits the district test can still be blocked if the citywide cap is already filled.
Violations & Fines
Operating or expanding a smoke or vape shop without meeting the district and density limits, or violating any other provision of the Planning and Zoning Code, is a misdemeanor of the first degree under Section 1123.99, with each day of continuing violation charged as a separate offense; a convicted owner also must pay all costs and expenses the City incurred in the case, on top of any court-ordered fine or closure order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a vape shop anywhere in Parma?
Is there a cap on how many smoke shops Parma allows?
What happened to Parma's old Vape Shop zoning rule?
What happens if a smoke shop violates Parma's zoning rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Parma
Compare Parma to another location·View the Ohio business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Tobacco Retail License in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cuyahoga County handle tobacco retail license.