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The Richmond City Council is set to consider exceptions to its tobacco retailer moratorium on Tuesday that would allow some longtime businesses to resume selling tobacco products, even as the ban on new retailers remains in place.
City staff identified nine unlicensed tobacco retailers that could qualify for a proposed "Pathway to Compliance Program" based on strict criteria established by the council. The businesses would need to have held valid city tobacco licenses between 2018 and 2024, maintained continuous business licenses, retained the same ownership, and hold current state tobacco licenses.
The potential exception comes more than a year after Richmond imposed a 45-day moratorium on new tobacco retailer licenses in April 2024. The Richmond City Council imposed a moratorium on new tobacco retail licenses in April 2024, which has since been extended through April 2026.
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City officials found 51 unlicensed tobacco retailers operating in Richmond, with many continuing to sell products despite receiving cease-and-desist orders. Of those, 31 businesses continued to sell tobacco during inspections conducted in April, while 18 had stopped, and two appeared to have closed.
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The analysis revealed enforcement challenges across the city. Staff discovered that eight unlicensed retailers had violations for selling cannabis or other drugs, while another eight had violations, including selling out-of-state tobacco, untaxed tobacco, or operating without state licenses.
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The geographic distribution shows the heaviest concentration of tobacco retailers in Districts 1 and 3, where unlicensed retailers outnumber licensed ones. District 1 has 12 unlicensed and nine licensed retailers. In comparison, District 3 has 18 unlicensed and six licensed retailers.
Richmond unlicensed tobacco retailer map
Green icons show the nine unlicensed tobacco retailers that currently meet the criteria for compliance licensing, blue icons show locations that meet the ownership matching requirements, while red icons show unlicensed locations.
None of the 51 unlicensed retailers would meet with both current location requirements, which mandate 500-foot buffers from other licensed retailers and 1,000-foot buffers from youth-sensitive areas, such as schools and parks.
The moratorium was enacted after community complaints about proliferating unlicensed tobacco retailers and concerns about youth access to tobacco products. The boom in tobacco retailers prompted an outcry from the public, leading the council to adopt a moratorium on issuing new tobacco retail licenses last April.
Richmond has maintained strict tobacco regulations since 2018, when it banned menthol and flavored tobacco products citywide and established minimum pack sizes for cigars. The city also prohibited electronic cigarettes in 2019.
City staff presented two options to the council: maintaining the current moratorium or establishing a compliance pathway for legacy retailers. The proposed ordinance would require two readings, with qualifying businesses eligible to apply for licenses after August 1, pending approval.
Nine unlicensed tobacco retailers currently meet the criteria for compliance licensing. If the city waives the ownership matching requirements, nine additional retailers would qualify, potentially increasing the total licensed businesses from 32 to 50.
These additional businesses include 24-7 Gas and Food at 5001 Cutting Boulevard, La Costeña Market at 1170 Twenty-Third Street, Chevron at 4838 Macdonald Avenue, Discount Cigarette and Cell Phone at 254 Marina Way, Richmond Food Center at 2220 Cutting Boulevard, Richmond Petroleum at 1000 Cutting Boulevard, Stop and Save Gasoline at 2221–2229 Cutting Boulevard, Stop and Shop Market at 800 Carlson Boulevard, and Valero/7-Eleven at 12678 San Pablo Avenue.
The Richmond City Council will meet on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at 5 p.m. at the Community Services Building, located at 440 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA 94804.
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