Somerville, MA Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)

The Somerville Board of Health's tobacco regulation requires anyone selling or distributing tobacco products, defined broadly to include electronic cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems and their components, to hold a Tobacco Product Sales Permit issued annually by the Board. Only owners of a permanent, indoor, non-mobile location in Somerville may apply, and each retail establishment may hold only one permit. Applicants must sign a statement confirming they have read the regulation and will instruct employees on it, and must provide proof of a current Tobacco Retailer License from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue before the city permit issues.

The permit is non-transferable: a new owner must apply fresh, and no new permit will be issued until any outstanding penalties from the previous holder are paid in full. No new applicant may receive a permit for a location within 500 feet of a public or private elementary or secondary school, measured property line to property line, though a business that already holds a valid permit can transfer it to a new owner within 60 days of a sale without being blocked by that quota.

Permit holders consent to unannounced, periodic inspections as a condition of holding the permit. A permit will not be renewed if the holder has unpaid fines with an expired appeal window, or if the holder sold tobacco to someone under 21 three times in the same permit year. All sales must be face-to-face at the permitted location, age verified by government photo ID, and required warning signage from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health must be posted at the register.