LA County requires every vape and tobacco retailer in unincorporated areas to hold a Tobacco Retailer License under LACO Title 11.04.260 plus a state CDTFA license. Sales of flavored vape products are barred under Ord. 2019-0014 and California SB-793.
LA County Code Title 11, Division 1, chapter 11.04, section 11.04.260 (the Tobacco Retailer License ordinance, one of California's strongest) requires any retailer selling tobacco or electronic cigarette products in unincorporated LA County to hold an annual county license issued by the Department of Public Health. The license requires a 1,000-foot buffer from schools and other tobacco retailers, age-verification protocols, and clean compliance history. Retailers also need a state CDTFA cigarette and tobacco license under Business and Professions Code section 22972. Self-service displays are barred. Non-tobacco-flavored e-liquid, menthol, fruit, mint, and dessert flavors are illegal under LACO 11.04.250.
Selling vape products without a county license, or selling flavored e-cigarettes, triggers license suspension or revocation under LACO Title 11.04.260 plus civil fines starting around five hundred dollars per violation.
See how El Monte's vape retail rules rules stack up against other locations.
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