Richardson, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)

The zoning ordinance defines an electronic-cigarette establishment as a business establishment that is dedicated primarily to the sale and/or on-premises use of electronic-cigarettes, a battery-powered device that lets users inhale nicotine vapor without fire, smoke, ash or carbon monoxide. That definition matters because Article XXII-A, Section 2 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance treats any use not already listed as an allowed use in a zoning district as a special permit use, and it separately names electronic-cigarette establishments on its enumerated list of uses that may be authorized by special permit, restricted to the LR-M(1) Local Retail District, LR-M(2) Local Retail District, or C-M Commercial District.

A special permit is not an over-the-counter approval: under Article XXII-A, Section 1, the city council may grant it only after a public hearing, notice to affected parties, and a recommendation from the city plan commission, and the council can attach conditions to protect adjoining property and public health, safety and welfare that must be satisfied before a certificate of occupancy issues. Because the permit is granted per-property rather than baked into the district's by-right use list, opening a vape retailer in Richardson means clearing a zoning case even inside a district that already allows general retail, and a location outside LR-M(1), LR-M(2) or C-M cannot get the permit at all. This sits alongside, but is legally distinct from, the code's separate 'smoking establishment' special permit category covering tobacco lounges and hookah cafes.