Seller permit requirements Seller permit period Distance Requirements Site Requirements Smoke shops permitted by Zoning Code Zoning Definitions
City of RiversideRequired for any incidental or
primary tobacco retail use Must be renewed every two years. None None Permitted as a retail use in commercial zones
Smoke shops/tobacco stores
means a business with sales of
tobacco, either loose or prepared
as cigarettes and products for the
smoking of tobacco constituting
more than 30 percent of gross sales
and/or 30 percent of net lease area.
City of Santa
AnaA4:A7G3A4:A8A4:
A6AA4:A8
Required for any incidental or
primary tobacco retail use Must be renewed every year. None None Permitted as a retail use in commercial zones None
City of Long BeachRequired for any incidental or
primary tobacco retail use Must be renewed every year. None None Permitted as a retail use in commercial zones None
City of PasadenaRequired for any incidental or
primary tobacco retail use Must be renewed every year.
No significant tobacco retailer shall
be located within 1,000 feet of a
sensitive land use (e.g., game
arcade, Internet access studio,
library, licensed child day-care
facility [excluding a small or large
family day-care use], park and
recreation facility, public or private
school, or theater, as any of those
land use types may be defined
in Article 8 (Glossary)
None
Conditionally permitted in
Commercial General and Industrial
General zones
Significant Tobacco Retailers:
Establishmnets that devote 20% or
more of the display area to the sale
or exchange of tobacco products
and/or paraphernalia
Peer City Comparison - Tobacco Retail Practices
Seller permit requirements Seller permit period Distance Requirements Site Requirements Smoke shops permitted by Zoning Code Zoning Definitions
City of Moreno ValleyRequired for any incidental or
primary tobacco retail use Must be renewed every year.
May not be located within:
- 600 feet of any other smoke shop,
adult business, emergency shelter,
rehab center, civic use, or sober
living facility
-400 feet of higher education
institutions and vocational training
facilities
- 200 feet of churches, arcades,
bowling alleys, race tracks, other
recreational entertainment.
None
Conditionally permitted if located
within 600 feet of a school, daycare
facilities, public parks, and
nonprofit youth facilities and/or;
300 feet of a residential zone.
"Smoke shop" shall mean a retail
establishment, commonly known as
a smoking shop, smoking lounge,
vape shop, hookah bar, cigar bar,
cigar shop, or headshop, which
provides or sells products intended
or designed for use in ingesting,
inhaling, or otherwise introducing
tobacco into the human body,
including but not limited to tobacco
products, electronic cigarettes
which contain nicotine and emit
smoke or vapor, smoking
accessories, including but not
limited to rolling papers, rolling
machines, herb grinders, scales,
glass pipes, hookah pipes, bongs,
bubblers, or other paraphernalia
City of Beverly Hills
Required for any incidental or
primary tobacco retail use.
Beginning May 21, 2019, the City
stopped accepting or processing
applications for tobacco retailer
permits.
Beginning January 1, 2021 tobacco
retailers may only be granted a
license/renewal if hardship can be
demonstrated per the requirements
of the municipal code.
None None
Prohibited - only referenced as
incidental to convenience store
uses.
Tobacconist: Any retail business
with at least ninety percent (90%) of
its retail floor area dedicated to the
sale of tobacco products such as
cigarettes, tobacco, and pipes.