Ridgewood, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)

Chapter 244, Article IV, adopted October 24, 2018 by Ordinance No. 3673 to protect the Central Business District's character, requires anyone creating, substantially enlarging, or transferring ownership of a tobacco or smoke shop, cannabis retailer, or electronic/vapor inhalation shop to get a conditional use permit from the Planning Board under Section 244-15. Section 244-16 confines these shops to the OB-2 Zone only and layers on spacing rules: no such shop within one mile of another, within 100 feet of residentially zoned land or public parkland, within 300 feet of a house of worship, or within 400 feet of a school, measured under Section 244-17 as a straight line from the shop's closest exterior wall to the nearest property line.

A shop sharing a common wall or attic space with another business cannot allow smoking anywhere on the premises. Section 244-16 also requires a posted point-of-sale warning sign with letters at least 1/4 inch high, ID checks for anyone appearing 21 or younger, a ban on self-service displays, and a ban on on-site vending machines. Separately, Section 244-20 requires any electronic/vapor substance retailer to hold an annual Department of Health license, running through December 31 regardless of issue date, at a $1,200 fee, discounted to $600 if purchased after July 1; the license cannot be transferred or assigned.