Federal law sets the minimum tobacco purchase age at 21 nationwide, but North Carolina's own statute, NCGS 14-313, still sets the state age at 18, so retailers must follow the stricter federal Tobacco 21 standard.
NCGS 14-313 prohibits the distribution, sale, or furnishing of tobacco products, tobacco-derived products, vapor products, and cigarette wrapping papers to anyone under 18, and requires sellers to demand proof of age when they have reasonable grounds to believe a purchaser is underage. The General Assembly has not raised the state age to 21. However, the federal Tobacco 21 law enacted in December 2019 makes it illegal nationwide to sell any tobacco or vapor product to a person under 21, and the FDA enforces that standard in North Carolina. Retailers therefore must refuse sales to anyone under 21 even though state criminal penalties attach at 18.
Selling to a person under 18 is a Class 2 misdemeanor under NCGS 14-313; sales to buyers aged 18 to 20 violate federal law and are enforced by the FDA through fines and no-tobacco-sale orders.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Chapel Hill, NC
Chapel Hill does not have a code provision specifically prohibiting or permitting artificial turf. Where landscape material is required under LUMO Appendix A...
Chapel Hill, NC
Chapel Hill does not mandate native plants in private landscapes but actively favors them through LUMO Appendix A landscape standards and through LUMO Sectio...
Chapel Hill, NC
Rainwater harvesting is legal in Chapel Hill. NCGS 160A-202 prohibits cities from banning cisterns and rain barrels used for irrigation: 'No city ordinance m...
Chapel Hill, NC
Chapel Hill collects household trash and yard waste weekly, starting at 6 a.m. Find your day on the town's Residential Trash Collection Map; recycling is han...
Chapel Hill, NC
Chapel Hill's LUMO permits one accessory apartment per single-family lot in residential zoning districts. The Town Council adopted comprehensive LUMO amendme...
Chapel Hill, NC
Chapel Hill Town Code Chapter 10 Article IV limits food trucks to private parking lots in downtown Chapel Hill and surrounding commercial districts. Only one...
See how Chapel Hill's tobacco age restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.