LACO Title 11.04.260 requires every tobacco retailer in unincorporated LA County to hold an annual county license costing roughly $342, with density caps near schools, pharmacy bans, and 1,000-foot buffers from K-12 campuses. Incorporated cities have their own programs.
Ordinance 2019-0074 added Title 11.04.260, creating one of the strongest local tobacco retail licensing schemes in California. Retailers in unincorporated areas pay an annual fee around $342 per location, capped at one license per 2,500 residents, and may not operate within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school or 500 feet of another tobacco retailer. Pharmacies cannot sell tobacco. The license layers on top of the state CDTFA license under Bus. & Prof. Code section 22970. License denial follows three or more violations in a 60-month period, including underage-sales failures or flavored-product sales. Incorporated cities like Beverly Hills, Pasadena, and Manhattan Beach run independent TRL programs; the county license does not reach inside city limits.
Operating without a county license is a misdemeanor under LACO Title 1.25 with fines escalating to $1,000 per day. Three violations in 60 months trigger automatic non-renewal and inventory seizure by LACDPH and LASD.
See how Pasadena's tobacco retail license rules stack up against other locations.
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