Richmond, VA Tobacco & Vaping: Tobacco Age Restrictions (2026)

A. No person shall sell to, distribute to, purchase for, or knowingly permit the purchase by any person younger than 21 years of age, knowing or having reason to believe that such person is younger than 21 years of age, any retail tobacco product or hemp product intended for smoking. No person shall sell retail tobacco products or hemp products intended for smoking from a vending machine. B. No person shall sell a retail tobacco product or hemp product intended for smoking to any individual who does not demonstrate, by producing a driver's license or similar photo identification issued by a government agency, that the individual is at least 21 years of age. Before a retail dealer may sell retail tobacco products [...], the person selling, offering for sale, giving, or furnishing the retail tobacco products shall verify that the consumer is of legal age by examining from any person who appears to be under 30 years of age a government-issued photographic identification that establishes that the person is of legal age. [...] C. A violation of subsection A or B by an individual or by a separate retail establishment is punishable by a civil penalty in the amount of $500 for a first violation and a civil penalty in the amount of $2,500 for a second or subsequent violation within a three-year period.