Ventura, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Per fixed location
- School buffer
- 1,000 feet for new retailers
- Bars/restaurants serving alcohol
- Cannot hold a license
- Compliance checks
- At least 2 per year
- Violation penalty
- Misdemeanor plus public nuisance
- Appeal deadline
- 10 calendar days
Summary
Every tobacco and vape retailer in the City of Ventura, including sellers of e-cigarettes and vaping devices, must hold a city tobacco retailer license for each fixed location under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 6.410.030. The ordinance bans itinerant and vehicle-based tobacco sales, forbids licensing any bar or restaurant that serves alcohol for on-site consumption, and keeps new tobacco retailers 1,000 feet from any school.
“Electronic smoking device” means an electronic or battery-operated device that delivers vapors of nicotine and/or other substances for inhalation. This term includes every variation and type of such device, whether manufactured, distributed, marketed, or sold as an electronic cigarette, an electronic cigar, an electronic cigarillo, an electronic pipe, a vapor cigarette, an electronic hookah, a heated tobacco unit, or any other similar product. ... A. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to act as a tobacco retailer without first obtaining and maintaining a valid tobacco retailer license pursuant to this chapter for each location at which that activity is to occur. B. A tobacco retailer license may only be issued to authorize tobacco retailing at a fixed location. Itinerant tobacco retailing and tobacco retailing from vehicles is prohibited. ... D. ... No tobacco retailer license will be issued to authorize tobacco retailing within 1,000 feet of any school except as authorized in Section 6.410.130.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-008, passed May 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
020 defines “tobacco product” to include electronic smoking devices, meaning vape shops and any store selling e-cigarettes, cartridges, e-liquid or vaping accessories fall under the same license as cigarette and cigar sellers. 130. 130). 150). 140).
Violations & Fines
Selling tobacco products or vaping devices in Ventura without a current tobacco retailer license violates Section 6.410.030(A), and each violation is a misdemeanor under Section 6.410.160 as well as a public nuisance subject to injunctive relief, abatement costs and attorney's fees. A license can be suspended or revoked for more than two violations of the chapter or any law within one year, more than four within five years, or a materially false application (Section 6.410.080), and the retailer may appeal an adverse decision to a hearing officer and then the city council within 10 calendar days (Sections 6.410.090-.110).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Ventura vape shop need the same license as a tobacco store?
Can a new tobacco shop open near a Ventura school?
How often are Ventura tobacco retailers inspected?
What happens if a Ventura retailer sells tobacco without a license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura
California rules heatmap·Compare Ventura to another location·View the California business licensing & operations overview
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Tobacco Retail License in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle tobacco retail license.