Beginning January 1, 2024, the City will require Tobacco Retailers to obtain a valid Tobacco Retailer’s License (TRL) at each location where tobacco products are sold. The cost of the TRL has been calculated as cost recovery for the administration and enforcement of the program in the amount of $520 per tobacco retail license. The TRL program makes it unlawful to sell tobacco products within the City of Pico Rivera without first obtaining and maintaining a valid tobacco retailer’s license.
The TRL program also enforces an existing statewide ban on flavored tobacco. The statewide ban on flavored tobacco addresses the marketing efforts to youth, communities of color, and low-income populations by tobacco companies. A ban on flavored tobacco is fundamental to the efforts of the City Council to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its residents, as flavored tobacco has the greatest appeal toward youth.
The following checklist includes (but is not limited to) TRL compliance measures for the inspections that will be conducted at every tobacco retailer:
» Display of tobacco license.
» Minimum clerk and customer age of 21.
»No self-service displays of tobacco items. If displayed, cabinet must be locked and have signage stating items are locked.
» Windows shall maintain clear with an unobstructed view of the interior of the premises of each store to ensure law enforcement personnel can view in. Window signs cannot cover more than 10% of the window area.
» No advertising of tobacco products without a tobacco license.
» No sale of flavored tobacco nor advertising of it.
» Tobacco must be sold in original packaging with labeling conforming to all federal labeling requirements and child-resistant packaging requirements.
» No tobacco coupons and discounts or provision of free or discontinued items in consideration for purchasing any tobacco product.
City will conduct two (2) inspections per year.
For questions, please contact the City of Pico Rivera’s Code Enforcement Division at 562.801.4413.
The mission of the TRL program is to discourage violations of tobacco-related laws, especially those that prohibit or discourage the sale or distribution of tobacco and nicotine products to minors.
