Tobacco & Smoking Regulations

Impact Sonoma

Sonoma County has laws regulating Smoking and Secondhand Smoke and Tobacco Retailing.

Smoking and Secondhand Smoke regulations promote a healthy, smoke-free environment and eliminate the unwanted exposure to hazardous secondhand smoke in public places. Impact Sonoma is responsible to enforce these regulations in unincorporated Sonoma County.

Impact Sonoma provides technical assistance to the public on how to address secondhand smoke issues and will refer you to the code enforcement authority within the jurisdiction you live to report a smoking issue.

Tobacco retailers in unincorporated Sonoma County, Cities of Petaluma and Santa Rosa, and Town of Windsor are required to obtain a Tobacco Retail License to sell tobacco products. Compliance and enforcement inspections ensure retailers comply with tobacco control laws and business standards to protect the health, safety, and welfare of our residents.

Prospective tobacco retailer licensees must consult with Impact Sonoma of the Sonoma County Department of Health Services PRIOR TO applying for a state tobacco retailer license, to determine how to comply with local licensing requirements. Most jurisdictions in Sonoma County have Tobacco Retail Licensing ordinances or regulations that restrict the number of tobacco retailer licenses available and have other limitations to license eligibility.

See Local Regulations below for information in the jurisdiction you plan to open your business. To confirm license eligibility, please contact Carley Moore, Tobacco Compliance & Enforcement at (707) 565-6680, or impact.sonoma@sonoma-county.org for more information.