Texas Health and Safety Code §161.0815 bars selling tobacco or e-cigarettes to anyone under 21; Arlington retailers must verify ID and face DSHS-led enforcement and license actions.
Texas Health and Safety Code §161.0815, effective September 2019, raised the minimum age for tobacco and e-cigarette sales to 21, with a narrow exemption for active-duty military born before August 31, 2001. Arlington retailers must check government-issued photo ID for anyone appearing under 30 and post DSHS-issued signage at points of sale. Texas DSHS conducts compliance checks using underage operatives, and violations trigger administrative fines, retailer permit suspensions, and clerk citations. Arlington police may also enforce. The city does not impose a stricter age (e.g., 25) because state law occupies the field on tobacco sales age.
First-offense fines up to several hundred dollars; repeat retailers face permit suspension and revocation by DSHS, plus federal Tobacco 21 oversight by FDA.
See how other cities in Tarrant County handle tobacco age restrictions.
See how Arlington's tobacco age restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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