Philadelphia Code 9-630 requires anyone selling cigarettes, vape products, or other tobacco to hold a Tobacco Retailer Permit issued by the Health Department. Per-permit caps and density limits restrict new retailers in many neighborhoods, with tougher rules near schools.
Philadelphia Code 9-630 created a Tobacco Retailer Permit administered by the Department of Public Health. All retailers selling cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, or e-cigarettes must hold a permit, post it visibly, and check ID for buyers under 27. The 2016 density and proximity rules cap tobacco retailers at one per 1,000 residents per planning district and ban new retailers within 500 feet of schools, with limited exceptions for grocery and pharmacy outlets that meet sales-mix tests. State law sets the minimum sale age at 21 under federal preemption, and Pennsylvania preempts some pricing and sampling rules but not licensing.
Selling without a permit, to underage buyers, or near a school in violation of buffers can bring permit suspension, fines up to $2,000 per day under Code 1-109, and revocation after repeat violations. Sting-buy failures count as separate violations.
Philadelphia, PA
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Philadelphia, PA
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See how Philadelphia's tobacco retail license rules stack up against other locations.
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