Jefferson Parish, LA Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- Sheriff & ex officio tax collector
- Retail dealer fee
- $75 per year
- Vending machine fee
- $5 per machine/year
- Covers
- e-cigarette liquid and devices
- Permit term
- Jan. 1 through Dec. 31
- Transferable
- no
- Sale to minors
- grounds for revocation
Summary
Selling cigarettes, cigars, loose tobacco, or e-cigarette liquid anywhere in unincorporated Jefferson Parish requires an annual retail dealer permit from the sheriff's office as tax collector. Sections 17-95 and 17-96 define 'tobacco product' to include vapor-producing e-cigarette liquid and require a $75-per-year permit for every outlet, dated from January 1, before the business can legally open its doors.
Sec. 17-95. Definitions. Tobacco product means and includes tobacco, tobacco related products, tobacco substitutes, fillers and other plants or smoke or vapor-producing substances and/or liquids placed into an electronic cigarette, to the exclusion of nicotine cessation therapy products. Retail dealer includes every dealer other than a wholesale dealer or manufacturer who sells or offers for sale cigars, cigarettes, or other tobacco products. A retail dealer permit shall be issued for each retail outlet where tobacco products are sold or offered for sale either over the counter or by vending machine. Sec. 17-96. Obtaining of permits, date and payment of fees. Before engaging in the business of dealing in tobacco products within the territorial limits of the parish, except the corporate limits of municipalities, all persons shall obtain from the sheriff and ex officio tax collector for the Parish of Jefferson, annually, dated from January first of each year, a permit to conduct each separate business and shall pay the parish all fees assessed therefor.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Jefferson Parish folds vaping into its existing tobacco permit scheme rather than writing a separate e-cigarette ordinance. Section 17-95's definitions treat 'tobacco product' as covering tobacco itself plus tobacco substitutes, fillers, and other plants or smoke- or vapor-producing substances and liquids placed into an electronic cigarette, so a vape shop selling e-liquid needs the same retail dealer permit as a convenience store selling cigarettes. Section 17-96 requires anyone dealing in tobacco products within the parish, outside the incorporated cities, to get an annual permit from the sheriff and ex officio tax collector before opening, dated from January 1 each year.
4. 7; a new owner must apply and pay again. citizens, free of felony convictions and of certain misdemeanor convictions like prostitution or narcotics offenses within the relevant lookback period, and not previously stripped of a tobacco permit in any state within the prior five years. First-time retail dealer applicants must also publish a signed notice of their application once in the parish's official journal before the sheriff will issue the permit, per section 17-98. 10.
Violations & Fines
Selling to anyone under 18, operating without the required permits, or failing to pay parish taxes and fees on a licensed premises are all grounds for suspension or revocation under section 17-100.11, following a hearing before the tobacco products permit review committee within 120 days of the violation. Section 17-100.12 adds that any misstatement or concealed fact on the permit application is itself grounds for refusal, suspension, or revocation, and a permit tied to someone whose own permit was already denied or revoked can be pulled as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special permit to sell vapes in Jefferson Parish?
How much does a Jefferson Parish tobacco retail permit cost?
Can I transfer my tobacco permit if I sell the store?
What can get my tobacco permit suspended or revoked?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jefferson Parish
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