Mill Valley Becomes Marin's Second Town to End All Tobacco and Nicotine Sales

Starting next February, you won't be able to buy a pack of cigarettes, a vape or a tin of nicotine pouches anywhere in Mill Valley.

What passed

The Mill Valley City Council unanimously gave final approval this week to an ordinance that ends the retail sale of commercial tobacco products and electronic smoking devices inside city limits, with no exemptions. According to the city's announcement, the ban covers cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, nicotine pouches, vaping products and related devices. It also bars delivery sales into the city, whether ordered online, by phone, by mail, through an app or by common carrier.

The rule doesn't make it illegal for adults to buy elsewhere, possess or use tobacco, and stores can still sell FDA-authorized products meant to help people quit. Deputy administration director Kelsey Rogers told the council the ordinance replaces the city's existing tobacco retailer licensing program.

When it kicks in

Enforcement starts Feb. 1, 2027. Existing licensed shops can keep selling through Jan. 31 to wind down inventory, and no new tobacco licenses will be issued or renewed. Rogers said five Mill Valley retailers are affected.

That start date lines up with Corte Madera, which the Marin IJ says adopted the country's first complete end-of-sales ordinance with no exemptions in September. Corte Madera's town council approved its version 3-2, according to the town's website.

Why Marin keeps going further

City staff pointed to Marin County Public Health figures showing 17% of local 11th graders report vaping, compared with 10% statewide. Marin towns have been tightening rules for years: Tiburon and Ross banned retail sale of any nicotine product last fall, the county Board of Supervisors prohibited e-cigarette sales and set minimum prices last November, and Fairfax restricted nicotine pouches in February, the IJ reported.

"This is a huge moment for not just Mill Valley, but also for Corte Madera that's joined us in this action," Mayor Max Perrey said.

The pushback

The only public speaker against the ban was Bryan Lam of the California Fuels and Convenience Alliance, a trade group, who argued product bans just shift where people buy. He asked the council to add a one-year sunset so it could review the results. The council didn't take up the request.