Portland, OR Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)

Multnomah County adopted its Tobacco Retail License ordinance (Ordinance 1245) in November 2015, with retailer applications opening July 1, 2016. The TRL applies to any business selling cigarettes, cigars, other tobacco products, inhalant delivery systems (e-cigarettes, vape pens), or related devices in the unincorporated county and inside Portland (which lies entirely within Multnomah, Multnomah/Washington/Clackamas, but the Portland portion in Multnomah is the largest area). Oregon Senate Bill 587 (2021 Session, Chapter 586) imposed a parallel statewide TRL administered by the Oregon Department of Revenue beginning January 1, 2022; the statute provides that a county TRL issued in Multnomah satisfies the state requirement, so Portland retailers obtain only the county license. License conditions include: minimum age 21 for all employees who sell tobacco (mirroring Tobacco 21), no self-service displays, no sampling on premises, no sales of single cigarettes, mandatory annual training, and minimum-distance buffers from schools (commonly 500 feet). Multnomah County has also adopted a flavored-tobacco sales ban (Ordinance 1295, 2022), but enforcement of that ban has been stayed by the Oregon Court of Appeals while litigation continues -- so as of mid-2026, licensed Portland retailers may continue to sell flavored tobacco products until the appeal resolves. The license fee in 2026 is approximately $623 per location annually.