Victorville, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)

Development Code Sec. 16-3.07.015(b)(3) makes an annual Tobacco Retailer License (TRL) mandatory for every new or existing tobacco retailer, defined to include any establishment selling tobacco, tobacco paraphernalia, or "any electronic smoking product and/or device," which pulls vape and e-cig shops directly into the licensing scheme. The TRL is issued alongside the City business license and is non-transferable, valid for up to one year, and subject to annual renewal.

The most consequential rule for new stores sits in Subsection (b)(3)(ii): no TRL may issue for a location that is not also licensed under state law to sell alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption (an ABC off-sale license), unless the applicant is a legally nonconforming tobacco retailer under Sec. 16-1.03.010. That linkage effectively blocks brand-new, stand-alone vape or smoke shops that do not also carry an ABC off-sale permit, unless they can document an arm's-length acquisition of an existing nonconforming tobacco business.

Applications under Sec. 16-3.07.015(b)(4) must be signed by each proprietor and can be denied for false or incomplete information, a prohibited location, a disqualified proprietor, a prohibited retailing format such as mobile vending, or noncompliance with the operating and inspection standards in Subsections (b)(5) and (c). Denials must be issued in writing with reasons and are appealable through the Chapter 2, Article 2 administrative appeal process. Renewal under (b)(3)(iv)(a) is granted only if the retailer passes the annual compliance monitoring inspection required by Subsection (c)(1), conducted by the Code Enforcement or Planning Department alongside the business license renewal, with the compliance inspection fee set by the City's master fee schedule.