(a) Tobacco Retail License Required. No person, tobacco retailer, or tobacco retail establishment shall sell or offer to sell any tobacco product without first having obtained a license from the City of Oxford.
(b) Tobacco Retail License Application. An application for a license to sell tobacco products must be made on a form provided by the City of Oxford. The application must contain the full name of the applicant, the applicant's residential and business addresses and telephone numbers, the name of the business for which the license is sought, and any additional information the City of Oxford deems necessary. If the City of Oxford determines that an application is incomplete, the application will be returned to the applicant with notice of the deficiency and the requisite information necessary to make the application complete.
(c) One Year License Term. The license term shall be a twelve (12) month period, beginning on March 1. In cases of applications for a new license submitted after March 1 of a given year and more than sixty (60) days before the following March 1, the City of Oxford may issue a license for the remainder of the standard term period, but such license term will only extend to the following last day of February. The license fee remains the same regardless of the time of application. The license fee will not be prorated no matter the date an application is filed during the standard term period.
(d) Violation, Suspension, or Revocation. Any license issued may be suspended or revoked following the procedures set forth in this Chapter.
A tobacco retailer or retail establishment that violates any provision of this Ordinance, or any other federal, state, or local law relating to tobacco product sales, shall be subject to the penalties prescribed in this Chapter and pursuant to Section 537.16 of the Oxford Municipal Code pertaining to the illegal distribution and sale of tobacco products. These penalties include, but are not limited to fines and/or the prohibition of the sale of tobacco products.
A violation of other federal, state, and/or local laws relating to tobacco product sales shall be included in the determination and accrual of violations against a tobacco retail establishment's license as prescribed in this Chapter.
(e) Transfers. All licenses issued are valid only on the premises for which the license was issued and only for the person to whom the license was issued. The transfer of any license to another location or person is prohibited.
(f) Display. All tobacco retail licenses must be posted and displayed at all times in plain view of the public or clientele of the tobacco retail establishment.
(g) Renewals. The renewal of a license issued under this chapter shall be handled in the same manner as the original application. The request for a renewal must be made at least thirty (30) days, but no more than sixty (60) days, before the expiration of the current license on the last day of February.
(h) Issuance as Privilege and Not a Right. The issuance of a license is a privilege and does not entitle the license holder to an automatic renewal of the license.
(i) Instructional Program. Licensees must ensure that their employees complete a training program on the legal requirements related to the sale of licensed products and the possible consequences of license violations. The training shall include information that the sale of tobacco products to persons under twenty-one (21) years of age is illegal; the types of identification legally acceptable for proof of age; and that sales to persons under twenty-one (21) years of age shall subject the tobacco retailer and/or retail establishment to penalties. Licensees must maintain documentation demonstrating their compliance and must provide this documentation at the time of renewal, or whenever requested to do so during the license term.
(Ord. 3730. Passed 8-1-23.)