Reno, NV Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- License type
- Annual business + privilege license
- Applies per
- Each retail location
- Staffing rule
- No juvenile clerks allowed
- Criminal penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
- Civil penalty
- Public nuisance per se
Summary
Reno requires an annual business license plus a privileged license for every tobacco paraphernalia retail business, i.e., smoke shops, before selling paraphernalia inside city limits.
Every person engaged in, or proposing to engage in, the tobacco paraphernalia retail business in the city shall obtain an annual business license and a privileged license for such sales. It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the tobacco paraphernalia retail business in the city without the person... first obtaining and maintaining a valid privilege license for the sale of tobacco paraphernalia pursuant to this chapter for each location where that activity is to occur.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Administrative Code: Supplement 64 | Land Development Code: Supplement 5 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Reno Municipal Code Chapter 5.19 treats every tobacco paraphernalia retail business, the code's term for a smoke shop, as a licensed activity. Sec. 5.19.020 makes it unlawful to engage in the business inside city limits without first obtaining an annual business license and a privilege license for each location. Sec. 5.19.030 bars hiring juvenile clerks, and Sec. 5.19.040 requires paraphernalia to be kept in a posted, access-restricted area unless the store qualifies as an adults-only establishment.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the license is a public nuisance per se under RMC Chapter 1.05, plus a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in county jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Reno require a special license for smoke shops?
Can a Reno smoke shop display paraphernalia openly?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Reno
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