Tuscaloosa, AL Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)

City of Tuscaloosa Zoning Ordinance Sec. 25-101.c.6.x sets a one-thousand (1,000) foot separation standard for any use the ordinance classifies as a 'tobacco or vape shop,' defined in Sec. 25-31 as an establishment exclusively or primarily selling or distributing tobacco, electronic cigarettes, vaping products, or related goods, but not cannabis-based products. The standard is reciprocal: a new tobacco or vape shop cannot locate within 1,000 feet of an existing one, and it also cannot locate within 1,000 feet of six other listed uses the city treats as needing separation, specifically a casino or gambling hall, a check-cashing establishment, a sexually-oriented business, a tattoo establishment, a liquor store, or any residential use inside a residential zoning district.

This spacing rule sits inside the commercial principal use table alongside identical 1,000-foot standards for casinos, check-cashing businesses, liquor stores, sexually-oriented businesses, and tattoo establishments, all cross-referencing each other, so a single proposed location can trip more than one distance rule at once if several regulated uses cluster nearby. A tobacco or vape shop is permitted outright or by special exception depending on the zoning district, per the commercial principal use table in Sec. 25-101, and once sited it must also meet the off-street parking standard in Sec. 25-123, which sets a ratio of three (3) parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area for the use.