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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCc1409 1409 AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO THE SALE, POSSESSION, AND USE OF TOBACCO, TOBACCO PRODUCTS, AND TOBACCO RELATED DEVICES IN THE CITY AND TO REDUCE THE ILLEGAL SALE, POSSESSION, AND USE OF SUCH ITEMS TO AND BY MINORS. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: 1409.010 Purpose. Because the City recognized that many persons under the age of eighteen (18) years purchase or otherwise obtain, possess, and use tobacco, tobacco products, and tobacco related devices, and because studies, which the City hereby accepts and adopts', have shown that most smokers begin smoking before they have reached the age of eighteen (18) years and those persons who reach the age of eighteen (18) years without having started smoking are significantly less likely to begin smoking; and because smoking has been shown to be the cause of several serious health problems which subsequently place a financial burden on all levels of government; this Ordinance shall be intended to regulate the sale, possession, and use of tobacco, tobacco products, and tobacco related devices for the purpose of enforcing and furthering existing laws, to protect minors against the serious effects associated with the illegal use of tobacco, tobacco products, and tobacco related devices, and to further the official public policy of the State of Minnesota in regard to preventing young people from starting to smoke, as stated in Minn. Stat.. 144.391. 1409.020 Definitions and Interpretations. Except as otherwise be provided or clearly implied by context, all terms shall be given their commonly accepted definitions. The singular shall include the plural ' 'The City of Oak Park Heights has relied upon the following sources: Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People, A Report of the Surgeon General; Youth Access to Tobacco - Summary Points, Youth and Elders Against Tobacco Use; Stillwater Area School District Ciiarette Use Permits, Youth Access to Tobacco, Minnesota Assist; Tobacco Sales to Youth and Nicotine Addiction in Adolescence, both by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1 and the plural shall include the singular. The masculine shall include the feminine and neuter, and vice - versa. The term "shall" means mandatory and the term "may" means permissive. The following terms shall have the definitions given to them: A. "Tobacco" or "Tobacco Products" means any substance or item containing tobacco leaf, including by not limited to, cigarettes; cigars; pipe tobacco; snuff, fine cut or other chewing tobacco; cheroots; stogies; perique; granulated, plug cut, crimp cut, ready - rubbed, and other smoking tobacco; snuff flowers; cavendish; shorts; plug and twist tobaccos; dipping tobaccos; refuse scraps; clippings; cuttings and sweepings of tobacco; and other kinds and forms of tobacco leaf prepared in such manner as to be suitable for chewing, sniffing, or smoking. B. "Tobacco Related Devices" means any tobacco product as well as a pipe, rolling papers, or other device used in a manner which enables the chewing, sniffing, or smoking of tobacco or tobacco products. C. "Self- Service Merchandising" means open displays of tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices in any way where any person shall have access to the product without the assistance or intervention of an employee of the premises maintaining the self - service merchandising. Self - service merchandising shall not include vending machines. D. "Vending Machine" means any mechanical, electric or electronic, or other type of device which dispenses tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices upon the insertion of money, tokens, or other form of payment directly into the machine by the person seeking to purchase the tobacco, tobacco product, or tobacco related device. E. "Individually Packaged" means the practice of selling any tobacco or tobacco product wrapped individually for sale. Individually wrapped tobacco and tobacco products shall include, but not be limited to, single cigarette packs, single bags or cans of loose tobacco in any form, and single cans or other packaging of snuff or chewing tobacco. Cartons or other packaging containing more than a single pack or other container described in this subdivision shall not be considered individually packaged. F. "Loosies" means the common term used to refer to a single or individually packaged cigarette. G. "Minor" means any natural person who has not yet reached the age of eighteen (18) years. 2 H. "Retail Establishment "means any place of business where tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices are available for sale to the general public. Retail establishments shall include, but not be limited to, grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, and bars. I. "Moveable Place of Business" refers to any form of business operated out of a truck, van, automobile, or other type of vehicle or transportable shelter and not a fixed address store front or other permanent type of structure authorized for sales transactions. J. "Sale" means any transfer of goods for money, trade, barter, or other consideration. K. "Compliance Checks" mean the system the City uses to investigate and ensure that those authorized to sell tobacco, tobacco products, and tobacco related devices are following and complying with the requirements of this Ordinance. Compliance checks may involve the use of minors as authorized by this Ordinance. 1409.030 License. No person shall sell or offer to sell any tobacco, tobacco product, or tobacco related device without first having obtained a license to do so from the City. A. Application. An application for a license to sell tobacco, tobacco products, and tobacco related devices shall be made on a form provided by the City. The application shall 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 deems necessary. Upon receipt of a completed application, the City Clerk shall forward the application to the Council for action at its next regularly scheduled Council meeting. If the Clerk shall determine that an application is incomplete, he or she shall return the application to the applicant with notice of the information necessary to make the application complete. B. Action The Council may either approve or deny the license, or it may delay action for such reasonable period of time as necessary to complete any investigation of the application or the applicant it deems necessary. If the Council shall approve the license, the Clerk shall issue the license to the applicant. If the Council denies the license, notice of the denial shall be given to the applicant along with notice of the applicant[] s right to appeals the Council ❑ s decision. 3 C. Term All licenses issued under this Ordinance shall be valid for one (1) calendar year from the date of issue. D. Revocation or Susnension. Any license issued under this Ordinance may be revoked or suspended as provided in the Violations and Penalties section of this Ordinance. E. Transfers. All licenses issued under this Ordinance shall be valid only on the premises for which the license was issued and only for the person to whom the license was issued. No transfer of any license to another location or person shall be valid without the prior approval of the Council. F. Moveable Place of Business. No license shall be issued to a moveable place of business. Only fixed location businesses shall be eligible to be licensed under this Ordinance. G. Disnlay. All licenses shall be posted and displayed in plain view of the general public on the licensed premises. H. Renewals. The renewal of a license issued under this section shall be handled in the same manner as the original application. The request for a renewal shall be made at least thirty (30) days, but no more than sixty (60) days before the expiration of the current license. The issuance of a license issued under this Ordinance shall be considered a privilege and not an absolute right of the applicant and shall not entitle the holder to an automatic renewal of the license. 1409.040 Fees No license shall be issued under this Ordinance until the appropriate license fee shall be paid in full. Fees shall be set from time to time by the City Council by resolution. Fees shall be divided into two (2) classes. A Class "A" Tobacco License shall be required for any retail establishment which sells tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices in cartons or other packaging containing more than a single pack or other container as described in Section 200, Subd. 5. A Class "B" Tobacco License shall be required for any retail establishment selling only individually packaged tobacco or tobacco products wrapped individually for sale. 1409.050 Basis for Denial of License. 4 The following shall be grounds for denying the issuance or renewal of a license under this Ordinance, and if a license is mistakenly issued or renewed to a person, it shall be revoked upon the discovery that the person was ineligible for the license under this Section. A. The applicant is under the age of eighteen (18) years. B. The applicant has been convicted within the past five (5) years of any violation of a Federal, State, or local law, ordinance provision, or other regulation relating to tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices. C. The applicant has had a license to sell tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices revoked, in the City or at any other place, within the preceding twelve (12) months of the date of application. D. The applicant fails to provide any information required on the application, or provides false or misleading information. E. The applicant is prohibited by Federal, State, or other local law, ordinance, or other regulation, from holding such a license. 1409.060 Prohibited Sales. It shall be a violation of this Ordinance for any person to sell or offer to sell any tobacco, tobacco product, or tobacco related device: A. To any person under the age of eighteen (18) years. B. By means of any type of vending machine. C. By means of self - service methods whereby the customer does not need to make a verbal or written request to an employee of a licensed premises in order to receive the tobacco, tobacco product, or tobacco related device. D. By means of ❑loosies❑ as defined in Section 200, Subd. F of this Ordinance. E. Containing opium, morphine, jimson weed, bella donna, strychnos, cocaine, marijuana, or other type of deleterious, hallucinogenic, or toxic or controlled substance except nicotine and not naturally found in tobacco or tobacco products. F. By any other means or to any other person, prohibited by Federal, State, or other local law, ordinance provision, or other regulation. 5 1409.070 Vending Machines. It shall be unlawful for any person licensed under this Ordinance to allow the sale of tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices by the means of a vending machine. 1409.080 Self - Service Sales. It shall be unlawful for a license under this Ordinance to allow the sale of tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices by any means whereby the customer may have access to such items without having to request the item from the licensee or the licensee's employee. All tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices shall be stored behind a counter or other area not freely accessible to customers. 1409.090 Responsibility. All licensees under this Ordinance shall be responsible for the actions of their employees in regard to the sale of tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices on the licensed premises, and the sale of such a item by an employee shall also be considered a sale by the license holder, and each can be held responsible for any criminal and /or civil penalties imposed herein. 1409.100 Compliance Checks and Inspections. All licensed premises shall be open to inspection by the City Police or other authorized City official during regular business hours. From time to time, but at least once per year, the City shall conduct compliance checks by engaging minors to enter the licensed premises to attempt to purchase tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices. Minor used for the purpose of compliance checks shall not be guilty of unlawful possession of tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices when such items are obtained as a part of the compliance check. Retail establishments possessing a Class "A" License shall be subject to at least two (2) compliance checks per year. 1409.110 Other Illegal Acts. Unless otherwise provided, the following acts shall be a violation of this Ordinance. A. Illegal Possession. It shall be a violation of this Ordinance for any minor to have in his or her possession any tobacco, tobacco product, or tobacco related device. This subdivision shall not apply to minors lawfullv involved in a compliance check on behalf of the Citv. B. Illegal Use. 6 It shall be a violation of this Ordinance for any minor to smoke, chew, sniff, or otherwise use any tobacco, tobacco product, or tobacco related device. C. Illegal Procurement. It shall be a violation of this Ordinance for any minor to purchase or attempt to purchase or otherwise obtain any tobacco, tobacco product, or tobacco related device, and it shall be a violation of this Ordinance for any person to be sell or otherwise provide any tobacco, tobacco product, or tobacco related device to any minor, and it shall further be a violation for any person to coerce or attempt to coerce a minor to illegally purchase or otherwise obtain or use any tobacco, tobacco product, or tobacco related device. This subdivision shall not apply to minors lawfully involved in a compliance check on behalf of the Citv. D. Use of False Identification. It shall be a violation of this Ordinance for any minor to attempt to disguise his or her true age by the use of a false form of identification, whether the identification is that of another person or one on which the age of the person has been modified or tampered with to represent an age older than the actual age of the person. This subdivision shall not apply to minors lawfully involved in a compliance check on behalf of the Citv. 1409.120 Violations and Penalties. A. Criminal Penaltv. Any person, firm, or corporation violating any of the provisions of this Ordinance shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Each violation and every day in which a violation occurs or continues shall constitute a separate offense. B. Civil Penaltv. The provisions of the City of Oak Park Heights Civil Penalty Ordinance, Chapter 208, shall apply to any and all licenses issued hereunder. If a retail establishment has its tobacco license suspended pursuant to a hearing conducted under the City ❑ s Civil Penalty Ordinance, that retail establishment shall, during the period of suspension, remove all tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices away from public view. 1409.130 Exceptions and Defenses. Nothing in this Ordinance shall prevent the providing of tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices to a minor as part of a lawfully recognized religious, spiritual, or cultural ceremony. It shall be an affirmative defense to the violation of this Ordinance for a person to have reasonably relied on proof of age as described by State Law. 7 1409.140 Severabilitv and Savings Clause. If any section or portion of this Ordinance shall be found unconstitutional or otherwise invalid or unenforceable by a Court of competent jurisdiction, that finding shall not serve as an invalidation or effect the validity and enforceability of any other section or provisions of this Ordinance. 1409.150 Restriction on Aae of Clerks. It shall be illegal for a retail establishment to cause or permit a minor to sell tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices. It shall also be illegal for any minor to sell tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices. 1409.160 Sii2na2�e. Anyone holding a tobacco license under the provisions of this Ordinance shall post and display, in plain view of the general public, on the licensed premises a sign indicating that it is illegal to sell tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco related devices to anyone under the age of eighteen (18) years and that the possession and use of such items by minors is also illegal under both State law and local ordinance. Said signs shall be of a type approved by City staff and issued to a retail establishment at the time that a license is obtained. The cost of said sign shall be included within the licensing fee. 8