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Information for Tobacco and/or Electronic Cigarette Retail Dealers
License Lottery Notice
April 1, 2025: By law, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) has conducted a review of Tobacco Retail Dealer and Electronic Cigarette Retail Dealer licenses in each Community District to determine if the number of current licenses has fallen below the Community District cap. DCWP determined that the following Community Districts have available licenses:
- Tobacco Retail Dealer
- Manhattan Community District 3: 8 available licenses
- Manhattan Community District 9: 7 available licenses
- Manhattan Community District 10: 13 available licenses
- Manhattan Community District 11: 7 available licenses
- Manhattan Community District 12: 30 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 1: 30 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 2: 3 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 3: 14 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 4: 18 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 5: 9 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 6: 4 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 8: 3 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 9: 18 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 11: 4 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 12: 6 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 1: 17 available license
- Brooklyn Community District 2: 8 available license
- Brooklyn Community District 3: 21 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 4: 13 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 5: 35 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 7: 5 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 8: 17 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 9: 7 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 11: 3 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 13: 5 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 14: 5 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 15: 5 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 16: 16 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 17: 6 available licenses
- Queens Community District 12: 18 available licenses
- Queens Community District 13: 1 available licenses
- Electronic Cigarette Retail Dealer
- Manhattan Community District 10: 3 available licenses
- Manhattan Community District 12: 3 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 1: 2 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 4: 3 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 7: 5 available licenses
- Bronx Community District 8: 2 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 4: 1 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 5: 2 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 8: 2 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 9: 1 available licenses
- Brooklyn Community District 16: 1 available licenses
Online Lottery Application Period and Submission Guidelines
DCWP will accept lottery applications online only beginning May 1, 2025 through 5:00 p.m. on May 30, 2025.
DCWP will post the online application link to apply on this page on May 1, 2025.
Important:
- DCWP must receive your completed lottery application by 5:00 p.m. on May 30, 2025.
- Submit one lottery application per business address and indicate the license for which you are requesting to apply.
- If both licenses are available in your Community District, you must submit separate lottery applications.
License Lottery Selection Process
- At the close of the lottery application period, DCWP will assign each accepted lottery application a randomized computer-generated priority number. If the number of accepted lottery applications exceeds the number of available licenses in a Community District, DCWP will issue offers to apply for licenses in the order of the assigned priority numbers
- All applicants will receive notification from DCWP by email only when they can check the status of their application online. Status will state either:
- They are receiving an offer to apply for a Tobacco Retail Dealer or Electronic Cigarette Retail Dealer license and confirming next steps. OR
- They were not randomly selected to apply for a Tobacco Retail Dealer or Electronic Cigarette Retail Dealer license.
Tobacco and E-cigarette Control Laws
As of July 1, 2020, tobacco and e-cigarette retail stores in New York City are only allowed to sell products with specific flavors.
- Stores with an e-cigarette license may sell e-cigarettes or e-liquids/liquid nicotine that are tobacco-flavored or unflavored. This includes all disposable, refillable and tank-based vaping products.
- Stores with a tobacco license may sell cigarettes with tobacco or menthol flavors. They may also sell other tobacco products that are unflavored or are tobacco-, menthol-, mint- or wintergreen-flavored.
Learn more including FAQs by visiting the NYC Department of Health at nyc.gov/health.
Local Law 191 of 2017
As of April 14, 2018, it is illegal to sell non-tobacco shisha, herbal cigarettes, rolling papers, and other smoking-related paraphernalia to individuals under 21 years of age in New York City. Download Age Restriction Sign.
Tobacco Sales Training Program Affirmation Form
If your business received a violation for selling cigarettes, tobacco, electronic cigarettes, or other prohibited products to a person under 21, your business will receive:
- 2 points on your New York State retail dealer’s record OR
- 1 point on your New York State retail dealer’s record if the employee who made the illegal sale held a valid certificate of completion of a New York State Certified Tobacco Sales Training course.
Please complete and submit this Tobacco Sales Training Program Affirmation Form, which will be reviewed by DCWP.
Inspection Checklists
Read Inspection Checklist: Electronic Cigarette Retail Dealers.
Read Inspection Checklist: Tobacco Retail Dealers.