Ventura, CA Tobacco & Vaping: Flavored Tobacco Bans (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SBMC § 8.350.040(D)
- Adopted
- December 9, 2019 (Ord. 2019-026)
- Presumption trigger
- 4+ flavored products in stock
- Exemption
- On-site hookah tobacco only
- Penalty
- Infraction, $100-$500 (Ch. 1.150)
Summary
San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 8.350.040(D) bars every tobacco retailer in the city from selling, delivering, or stocking with intent to sell any flavored tobacco product, from menthol cigarettes to flavored vape liquid. Possessing four or more flavored products triggers a rebuttable presumption of intent to sell, and only on-site hookah use keeps a narrow exemption.
Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products Prohibited. It shall be a violation of this chapter for any tobacco retailer or any of the tobacco retailer's agents or employees to sell or deliver or offer for sale or delivery, or to possess with intent to sell or offer for sale, any flavored tobacco product to a person in the city. ... There shall be a rebuttable presumption that a tobacco retailer in possession of four or more flavored tobacco products, including, but not limited to, individual flavored tobacco products, packages of flavored tobacco products, or any combination thereof, possesses such flavored tobacco products with intent to sell or offer for sale.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-008, passed May 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
4 percent of stores selling cigarettes also sell menthol, and that flavored and mentholated products act as starter products driving youth tobacco addiction. 020 defines "characterizing flavor" broadly to include menthol, mint, fruit, chocolate, candy, and alcoholic-beverage tastes, and "flavored tobacco product" as any product imparting one. 2 presumes a product is flavored if the retailer or manufacturer has publicly claimed a characterizing flavor, used labeling that implies one, or otherwise led consumers to believe the product is flavored. 040(E) gave retailers lawfully operating as of December 9, 2019 a temporary exemption of up to six months if they notified the tobacco licensing administrator within 30 days and proved they had sold a tobacco product in the prior three months.
040(F) preserves a narrow hookah exemption: retailers may still sell flavored hookah tobacco for on-site consumption, but selling the same product for off-site use remains banned under subsection D.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Chapter 8.350, including the flavored tobacco ban, is an infraction under Section 8.350.070(C), carrying the citywide infraction fine schedule of up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for further violations under Chapter 1.150. Section 8.350.070(B) also confirms this local penalty does not preclude separate punishment under state law, such as Business and Professions Code Section 22958 for selling tobacco to minors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are menthol cigarettes banned from sale in Ventura?
Can hookah lounges still serve flavored tobacco in Ventura?
How does the city prove a tobacco product is "flavored"?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura
California rules heatmap·Compare Ventura to another location·View the California tobacco & vaping overview
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Flavored Tobacco Bans in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle flavored tobacco bans.