Sale and distribution of tobacco products; tobacco retail establishment permit required.
Riverside Municipal Code § 6.24.030
in effect6.24.030 - Sale and distribution of tobacco products; tobacco retail establishment permit required.
A. It shall be unlawful for any person, business, or tobacco retailer to sell, permit to be sold, offer for sale, or display for sale any tobacco product or tobacco paraphernalia without first obtaining and maintaining a valid tobacco retail establishment permit from the Department.
B. It shall be unlawful for any person, business, or tobacco retailer, except for a retail tobacco store, to sell, permit to be sold, offer for sale, or display for sale any tobacco product or tobacco paraphernalia by any means other than vendor-assisted sales. A vending machine, as defined in Section 6.24.020(N) above, is not a vendor-assisted sale.
C. It shall be unlawful for any person, business, or tobacco retailer to engage in the sale of tobacco products or tobacco paraphernalia without first posting a plainly visible sign at the point of purchase of tobacco products or tobacco paraphernalia which states: "THE SALE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS OR TOBACCO PARAPHERNALIA TO PERSONS UNDER TWENTY-ONE (21) YEARS OF AGE IS PROHIBITED BY LAW AND SUBJECT TO PENALTIES. PHOTO IDENTIFICATION IS REQUIRED." The letters of the sign shall be at least one-quarter inch high.
D. It shall be unlawful for any person, business, or tobacco retailer to sell any tobacco product or tobacco paraphernalia to any individual who appears younger than 21 years old, without first verifying, by means of photographic identification containing the bearer's date of birth, that the purchaser is at least 21 years old at the time of purchase.
E. It shall be unlawful for any person to act as a tobacco retailer without first obtaining and maintaining a valid tobacco retail establishment permit pursuant to this chapter for each location at which that activity is to occur. Tobacco retailing without a valid tobacco retail establishment permit is a public nuisance.
F. A tobacco retailer or proprietor without a valid tobacco retail establishment permit, including, a revoked permit:
1. Shall keep all tobacco products and tobacco paraphernalia from public view. The public display of tobacco products or tobacco paraphernalia in violation of this provision shall constitute an "offer for sale" for the purposes of Section 6.24.120 of this chapter.
2. Shall not display any advertisement relating to tobacco products or tobacco paraphernalia that promotes the sale or distribution of such products from the tobacco retailer's location or that could lead a reasonable consumer to believe that such products can be obtained at that location.
G. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to grant any person obtaining and maintaining a tobacco retail establishment permit any status or right other than the right to act as a tobacco retailer at the location in the city identified on the face of the permit. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to render inapplicable, supersede, or apply in lieu of, any other provision of applicable law including, but not limited to, any provision of this Code, or any condition or limitation on smoking in an enclosed place of employment pursuant to California Labor Code Section 6404.5. Obtaining a tobacco retail establishment permit does not make the retailer a "retail or wholesale tobacco shop" for the purposes of California Labor Code Section 6404.5.
H. In the event of any conflict with any other provision of the Riverside Municipal Code relating to tobacco, this chapter shall control subject to its enforcement by the Department and the District Attorney for the purposes for which this chapter is enacted.
(Ord. 7550, § 1(Exh. A), 2021)
Source: City of Riverside, California, Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ca/riverside/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_TIT6HESA_CH6.24PETOREES_6.24.030SADITOPRTOREESPEREFetched: 11/1/2026