Sun Prairie, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- License fee
- $100 per year
- License term
- July 1 to June 30
- Application deadline
- April 15, obtain by June 30
- Late fee
- $25 after deadline
- Issuing office
- City clerk
- Governing section
- § 5.28.010
Summary
Selling any tobacco product, tobacco paper, or wrapper in Sun Prairie requires a $100 annual license from the city clerk under § 5.28.010, and no retailer may sell, exchange, or even give away tobacco products without one. Licenses run July 1 through June 30 and can be revoked for chapter violations.
No person, firm or corporation shall in any manner, directly or indirectly, upon any premises, or by any device sell, exchange, barter, dispose of, or give away, or keep for sale any tobacco product, tobacco product paper or tobacco product wrappers, or any substitute therefor, without first obtaining a license as hereinafter provided. ... Tobacco product license shall be applied for by April 15th and shall be obtained on or before June 30th of each year or be subject to a late filing fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00). ... Each license shall be issued on the first day of July in each year, or thereafter whenever applied for, and shall continue in force from date of issuance until the succeeding June 30th, unless sooner revoked for any violation of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 71).
Full Breakdown
010 makes it unlawful for "any person, firm or corporation" to "in any manner, directly or indirectly, upon any premises, or by any device sell, exchange, barter, dispose of, or give away, or keep for sale any tobacco product, tobacco product paper or tobacco product wrappers, or any substitute therefor," without first obtaining a license. The prohibition is written broadly enough to cover giveaways and bartering, not just retail sales for money, and it reaches "any device," language that covers vending machine sales as well as counter sales.
An applicant files a written application with the city clerk naming the applicant and the business location, and the license is not delivered until the applicant pays a $100 annual fee. Licenses must be applied for by April 15th and obtained by June 30th of each year; applications filed after that window incur a $25 late filing fee, and payments made after June 20th must be made by credit card, certified check, or cash. Every license runs from July 1st through the following June 30th unless it is sooner revoked for a violation of the chapter.
The current fee and renewal structure was last amended by Ord. 803, § 1, adopted January 21, 2020, building on earlier versions from Ord. 625 (2015) and Ords. 525 and 501 (2000).
Violations & Fines
Selling, exchanging, or giving away tobacco products, papers, or wrappers without a current city license violates § 5.28.010 and exposes the seller to the chapter's general penalty provisions in addition to potential license revocation. Because the license runs on a July-to-June cycle, an operator who lets the license lapse past June 30th and continues selling is operating unlicensed, and late applications submitted after April 15th automatically carry a $25 penalty on top of the $100 license fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to sell vape products or e-cigarettes in Sun Prairie?
How much does a Sun Prairie tobacco retail license cost and when does it expire?
Can my Sun Prairie tobacco license be taken away?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sun Prairie
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