Newport Beach is getting a lot tougher on where people can light up and stock up. On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, the Newport Beach City Council gave initial, unanimous approval to a new set of rules that would sharply limit where smoke shops and cigar lounges can operate and set up a formal permitting system. The move comes as the city’s temporary moratorium on new tobacco retailers, which was extended last fall, is set to expire on Sept. 23, 2026, and follows police investigations that uncovered illegal drug sales and sales to minors at two shops in Corona del Mar.
What the ordinance would do
Under the draft ordinance, every tobacco retailer in the city would need an annual tobacco-retailer permit overseen by the police chief, according to City of Newport Beach staff documents. The rules would ban flavored tobacco, disguised vaping devices and the sale of controlled substances.
The proposal also lays out buffer zones: at least 1,000 feet between permitted tobacco retailers and at least 500 feet from schools, parks, libraries and residential zoning. Cigar lounges would be limited to certain commercial districts and barred from operating as restaurants. Businesses that are operating lawfully when the ordinance takes effect would have 60 days to file for a permit if they want to keep their doors open under the new rules.
Why the city is moving
City officials are tying the crackdown directly to recent enforcement actions and concerns about youth access. Detectives served warrants at Corona del Mar smoke shops that led to an arrest at Plugged N Smoke & Sneakers and to the seizure of more than 450 pounds of THC, psilocybin and nitrous oxide, according to Patch.
Mayor Lauren Kleiman told the council that the two Corona del Mar shops “were selling illegal substances and also selling to minors,” a remark reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Next steps for the council
The council’s vote moves the ordinance forward to a required second reading. The city’s calendar shows a regular council meeting on June 9, when the proposal could come back for final action, according to the City of Newport Beach…