Tobacco Retailer Education and Enforcement Compliance Checks

You are responsible for upholding the law. Compliance checks will be conducted and enforced on a continuous basis to ensure your store is following federal, state and local laws that prohibit the sale of tobacco to any person under the age of 21. If you are found guilty of selling any tobacco product, including vapes, to anyone under the age of 21, federal fines are in excess of $10,000 and you could even lose your license to sell tobacco.

• Tobacco retailers found selling or distributing a tobacco product, including Electronic Smoking Devices (ESDs) to anyone under the age of 21:

The licensee/owner, not the clerk, may be subject to a civil penalty in violation of Howard County Code of Ordinance 12.1301(a) up to:

• $500 for a first violation.
• $1,000 for a second violation or each subsequent violation occurring within twelve (12) months of the first violation.
• A retailer's license to sell tobacco will be suspended or revoked if two (2) or more violations occur within twelve (12) months of each other.

• To sell tobacco products in Maryland, you must have a license. The type of license required depends on the tobacco products being sold.  Licenses must be clearly displayed in the business and renewed every year.
• To complete the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Licenses Application, visit the “Licenses” tab on the Maryland Tobacco 21 FAQ website.

Maryland Responsible Tobacco Retailer Program 

•  Signs and Free Materials (materials translated in other languages available)
• Tobacco 21 FAQ 
• Resources
• Contacts

• The Howard County Health Department’s Tobacco Enforcement Coordinator visits each tobacco retailer in Howard County and provides the educational materials, an age calculator, and answers questions retailers have about the Tobacco 21 Law.

• Howard County Enforcement Officers complete random enforcement visits to tobacco retailers to confirm that Maryland retailer tobacco control laws and local tobacco laws in Howard County are being followed. The Howard County Enforcement Officer completes these checks with the assistance of an Underage Tobacco Enforcement Investigator (UTEI). UTEIs are all under the age of 21 and can provide a government issued ID confirming their age during the enforcement checks. UTEIs are paid for their time. Every tobacco retailer in Howard County receives at least one (1) compliance check per year.

• Please complete the “Smoking Violation Report Form” below if you have knowledge that a tobacco retailer in Howard County is or has violated the Tobacco 21 law. The report will be sent to the Howard County Department of Police. The establishment or locations that you have reported being in violation will be added to the “Watch List” that is distributed to a network of County field agencies who routinely regulate various aspects of public establishments.
  • Smoking Violation Report Form