Redding, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)

Tobacco retail in Redding operates under a state-dominated framework with no separate Redding tobacco retail license on top. The required licenses are: (1) California Cigarette and Tobacco Products Retailer's License from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) under Bus. & Prof. Code §22970 et seq., renewed annually at $265; (2) Redding Business License from the City Clerk under RMC Chapter 6.02 ($30 minimum tax plus gross-receipts component); and (3) federal Tobacco Permit if selling certain products in interstate commerce. The federal Tobacco 21 amendment to 21 U.S.C. §387f and California Bus. & Prof. Code §22963 set the minimum sales age at 21 for cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, vape products, and tobacco paraphernalia. Retailers must check ID for any purchaser appearing under 27 and must post the STAKE Act warning sign in plain view. The biggest substantive restriction in Redding is California SB 793 (signed 2020, upheld by voters as Proposition 31 in November 2022, fully effective December 21, 2022): SB 793 bans the sale, offer for sale, or possession with intent to sell of most flavored tobacco products including menthol cigarettes, flavored e-liquids, and flavored cigars at retail (with narrow exceptions for hookah, loose-leaf premium cigars, and certain pipe tobacco). First-violation civil penalties run $250-$500, second violations $500-$1,000, and the CDTFA license can be revoked. Local enforcement is handled by Redding Police and Shasta County Public Health.