Stearns County pauses update to tobacco ordinance after public comments; board seeks more input on employee age and coupon rules

Stearns County officials presented proposed updates on April 21 to the county’s tobacco ordinance — last drafted in 1999 — to reflect modern products (including e‑cigarettes), add licensing in townships and unincorporated areas, raise administrative penalties and formalize compliance checks.

Staff said the update would incorporate the 2007 "Freedom to Breathe" precedent on indoor smoking, the federal/state tobacco‑21 standard and new product definitions for vaping devices. The draft proposed measures including: requiring retail tobacco licenses in unincorporated areas, prohibiting product sampling, raising administrative fines (first offense increased in the draft from $75 to $300), and a draft provision that employees who sell or handle tobacco products be at least 18 years old.

Convenience store representatives and licensees submitted correspondence and raised operational concerns about the 18‑plus staff requirement (noting many stores rely on 16‑ and 17‑year‑old workers) and asked for clarity about coupon and discount restrictions. County staff said the 18‑plus provision in the draft is permissive (a local option) rather than a state or federal mandate; they also described proposals for noncriminal diversion options for minors involved in violations (education programs rather than criminal charges) and for annual compliance checks using supervised underage purchasers.

Public commenter Sandy Clocker urged consistent ID checks. After hearing staff presentations and written correspondence, the board voted to continue the item to a future meeting to allow staff to collect comparative language from neighboring jurisdictions, refine the draft, and return with clearer recommended language on the two key points (employee minimum age and coupon/discount rules).

What happens next: County staff will gather samples of neighboring counties’ ordinances, revisit the employee‑age language and the coupon/discount provisions, and bring a revised draft back to the board at a later meeting.