SB245 Tobacco Vapor Licensing Requirements
Summary
Kentucky Governor signed SB245 into law on April 10, 2026, establishing a comprehensive tobacco, nicotine, and vapor product licensing framework administered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The Act creates new application requirements, batch licensing options for multi-location retailers, and grounds for application denial. Unlicensed retailers must submit applications and fees within 60 days of the effective date. The Act is retroactive to January 1, 2026, and includes an emergency declaration.
What changed
SB245 creates a new tobacco, nicotine, and vapor product licensure regime under KRS 438.305 to 438.350. The Act establishes application form requirements, prohibits the Department from adding extra licensure requirements beyond statute, and creates batch licensing options allowing retailers with alcohol licenses to combine renewals. The Department must promulgate administrative regulations within 30 days of the effective date.
Kentucky retailers currently selling tobacco, nicotine, or vapor products without a license must file the initial application and fee within 60 days. Retailers holding existing licenses may renew using batch licensing at their next alcohol licensure renewal or after one year from their tobacco license issuance date. The Act repeals transitional licensing provisions and declares an emergency, making it effective upon signing with retroactive application to January 1, 2026.
What to do next
- Unlicensed retailers must submit application form and licensing fee within 60 days of effective date
- Licensed retailers may batch license at next alcohol license renewal or one year from issuance
- Monitor for Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to publish application forms within 30 days
Archived snapshot
Apr 11, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
ChangeBridge / Kentucky / SB245 Signed by Governor SB245 Senate Bill Signed by Governor 2026-04-10
AN ACT relating to tobacco, nicotine, or vapor product licensure and declaring an emergency.
Create a new section of KRS 438.305 to 438.350 to establish application form requirements for a tobacco, nicotine, or vapor product license; prohibit the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control from establishing any additional licensure requirements beyond those prescribed in statute; require the department to publish and maintain on its website the components required for a tobacco, nicotine, or vapor product license; amend various sections of KRS 438.305 to 438.350 to require the Secretary of State to notify retailers that a tobacco, nicotine, or vapor product license is required to sell authorized nicotine vapor products; establish application requirements for a tobacco, nicotine, or vapor product license; require the department to publish the application form on its website within 30 days of the effective date of this Act; require the licensing fee to be refunded to the applicant if a license is not issued; require a licensure renewal form and a licensing fee to be remitted to the department upon the renewal of a tobacco, nicotine, or vapor product license; define "batch license"; allow a retailer with a license issued by the department under KRS Chapter 243 to renew a tobacco, nicotine, or vapor product license on the date of its next renewal; allow an applicant or licensee to batch license using a singular application or renewal form; allow a licensee to batch license on the date of its next alcohol licensure renewal or 1 year from the date of issuance of its tobacco, nicotine, or vapor product license; require an applicant or licensee who chooses to batch license to multiply the licensure fee by the number of locations to be licensed or premises to be renewed; require the department to establish a singular application and renewal form for a batch license; allow the department to require a supplemental form for batch licensing if an alcohol license requires further information; grant a grace period to applicants for any error identified in an application by the department; establish requirements for a change of ownership; establish grounds for denial of an application; require the department to promulgate administrative regulations relating to tobacco, nicotine, and vapor licensing within 30 days of the effective date of this Act; repeal KRS 438.3065, which establishes transitional licensing; prohibit this Act from delaying enforcement; require any retailer selling tobacco, nicotine, or vapor products in Kentucky that does not currently hold a license to remit the initial application form and licensing fee within 60 days of the effective date of this Act; credit a licensee's 2025 licensing fee to the licensee's upcoming licensing fee payment for 2026; RETROACTIVE, in part, to January 1, 2026; EMERGENCY.
Bill Details
State Kentucky
Session 2026 Regular Session
Chamber Senate
Official Source apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/sb245....
LegiScan View on LegiScan
Sponsors
Robin Webb (Sen - R) Jimmy Higdon (Sen - R)
Action History
2026-04-10 S signed by Governor 2026-03-31 S delivered to Governor 2026-03-31 S enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House 2026-03-31 S enrolled, signed by President of the Senate 2026-03-27 S passed 35-1 2026-03-27 S Free Conference Committee report adopted in Senate 2026-03-27 S posted for passage for consideration of Free Conference Committee Report 2026-03-27 S taken from Rules 2026-03-27 S to Rules (S) 2026-03-27 S received in Senate 2026-03-27 H passed 78-0 2026-03-27 H Free Conference Committee report adopted in House 2026-03-27 H posted for passage for consideration Free Conference Committee Report in House 2026-03-27 H Free Conference Committee report filed in House 2026-03-27 H Conference Committee report adopted in House 2026-03-27 H Conference Committee report filed in House and Senate 2026-03-26 H Conference and Free Conference Committees appointed in House and Senate 2026-03-26 H House refused to recede from Committee Substitute (1) and Floor Amendment (1) 2026-03-26 H posted for passage for receding from House Committee Substitute (1) and Floor Amendment (1) 2026-03-26 H taken from Rules 2026-03-26 H to Rules (H) 2026-03-26 H received in House 2026-03-26 S Senate refused to concur in House Committee Substitute (1) and Floor Amendment (1) 2026-03-25 S passed over and retained for concurrence in House Committee Substitute (1) and House Floor Amendment (1) 2026-03-24 S passed over and retained for concurrence in House Committee Substitute (1) and Floor Amendment (1) 2026-03-24 S posted for passage for concurrence in House Committee Substitute (1) and Floor Amendment (1) 2026-03-24 S taken from Rules 2026-03-24 S to Rules (S) 2026-03-24 S received in Senate 2026-03-20 H 3rd reading, passed 85-0 with Floor Amendment (1) and Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-19 H posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, March 20 2026 2026-03-18 H floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute 2026-03-18 H reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-17 H returned to Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (H) 2026-03-17 H 2nd reading 2026-03-17 H taken from Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (H) 2026-03-16 H returned to Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (H) 2026-03-16 H 1st reading 2026-03-16 H taken from Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (H) 2026-03-11 H to Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (H) 2026-03-10 H to Committee on Committees (H) 2026-03-10 H received in House 2026-03-06 S passed 36-0 2026-03-06 S floor amendment (1) withdrawn 2026-03-06 S 3rd reading 2026-03-05 S floor amendment (1) filed 2026-03-05 S passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day 2026-03-04 S posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Thursday, March 05 2026 2026-03-04 S 2nd reading, to Rules 2026-03-03 S reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar 2026-02-27 S to Licensing & Occupations (S) 2026-02-25 S to Committee on Committees (S) 2026-02-25 S introduced in Senate
Votes
2026-03-06 Senate: Third Reading RSN# 3892 Yea: 36 Nay: 0 2026-03-20 House: Veto Override RCS# 300 Yea: 85 Nay: 0 2026-03-27 House: Veto Override RCS# 342 Yea: 78 Nay: 0 2026-03-27 Senate: Third Reading RSN# 4035 Yea: 35 Nay: 1
Committee Referrals
2026-02-25 S Committee on Committees 2026-02-27 S Licensing and Occupations 2026-03-04 S Rules 2026-03-10 H Committee On Committees 2026-03-11 H Licensing, Occupations & Administrative Regulations 2026-03-24 S Rules 2026-03-26 H Rules 2026-03-27 S Rules
Amendments
0000-00-00 Senate Floor Amendment 0000-00-00 House Committee Substitute 0000-00-00 House Floor Amendment
Bill Text Versions
0000-00-00 Introduced 0000-00-00 Engrossed 0000-00-00 Enrolled
Subjects
Alcoholic Beverages Boards and Commissions Effective Dates, Emergency Licensing Occupations and Professions Public Safety Retroactive Legislation Secretary of State State Agencies Tobacco Vaping Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
Named provisions
Related changes
Get daily alerts for Kentucky Legislative Events
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from KY Leg..
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when Kentucky Legislative Events publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.