Saint Paul, MN Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- § 324.01(a), all retail tobacco sales
- Citywide cap
- 100 tobacco shop licenses
- Citywide cap
- 15 tobacco products shop licenses
- Spacing rule
- half-mile (2,640 ft) from another licensee
- Revoked-location lockout
- 5 years
- License display
- required on premises
Summary
Selling any tobacco, vape, or nicotine product at retail in Saint Paul requires a city license under Legislative Code § 324.01. The city caps the total number of licenses, 100 tobacco shop licenses and 15 tobacco products shop licenses citywide, and bars any new tobacco retailer from locating within a half-mile of an existing licensed tobacco shop.
(a)No person may sell or offer for sale at retail within the city any licensed product or in any manner represent or hold themselves out as one who sells or offers for sale at retail any licensed product without a license from the city. [Sec. 324.01(a)] ... The total number of tobacco shop licenses issued under this chapter will not exceed one hundred (100). The total number of tobacco products shop licenses issued under this chapter will not exceed fifteen (15). ... No tobacco license may be issued to a person, firm, or corporation for any establishment located within one-half mile (2,640 feet) of another establishment possessing a tobacco license. [Sec. 324.04(b)(1)-(2)]
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 133 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
01(a) of the Saint Paul Legislative Code bars anyone from selling or offering for sale at retail, or even holding themselves out as selling, any licensed tobacco, vape, or nicotine product without a city license. 01(c)). 04(b)(1), though locations already licensed as of July 31, 2021 keep their renewal rights outside the cap as long as they stay in compliance. 04(b)(2) also imposes a locational buffer: no tobacco license may issue for any establishment within one-half mile (2,640 feet) of another tobacco-licensed establishment, measured property line to property line. 04(a)). 05); anyone filing for multiple locations must submit a list of every location. 06). 10.
Violations & Fines
Selling licensed tobacco or vape products without a city license violates § 324.01 and is enforceable as a licensing violation under Chapter 310, exposing the seller to citation, license denial, and, for an already-licensed retailer, suspension or revocation under § 324.10 for noncompliance with any Chapter 324 requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to sell cigarettes in Saint Paul?
Is there a limit on how many tobacco shops Saint Paul will license?
How close can a new tobacco shop open to an existing one?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Saint Paul
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