Smoke Free Air Act Exemption - Register a Tobacco Event

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A tobacco promotion event requires registration with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). A promotion event is a function where the public is invited for the primary purposes of promoting and sampling tobacco products, and includes incidental service of food and drink.

$25.00
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Additional Resources
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Smoking and Tobacco Control Laws

NYC Health and Administrative Codes

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About
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Description

Read the Application to Register a Tobacco Event for complete requirements and steps to register a tobacco promotion event.

Application to Register a Tobacco Event

You will need to submit a copy of your Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Cigarette Retail Dealer License.

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You will need a copy of the Retail Dealer Certificate of Registration for Cigarettes and Tobacco Products issued by New York State for each entity planning to sell tobacco products at the event (event promoter or any distributors). LEARN MORE

You will need a copy of the current valid Certificate of Appointment of Distributor of Tobacco Products issued by New York State for each entity planning to sell tobacco products at the event. This includes event promoters and distributors.

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A valid e-mail address is required if applying online.
There is a $25 fee for each event.

List of accepted payment methods.

  • Check (Payable to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; accepted only when applying in person)
  • Money Order (Payable to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; accepted only when applying in person)
  • American Express (accepted when applying online only)
  • Discover (accepted when applying online only)
  • MasterCard (accepted when applying online only)
  • Visa (accepted when applying online only)
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How to Apply
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Description
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) will process the application and will contact the applicant for any additional information or documentation required to process the application. If after 14 days the applicant has not been contacted by the DOHMH, the applicant should contact:
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NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)
Bureau of Food Safety & Community Sanitation
125 Worth Street, 10th Floor
New York
NY
10013
(212) 676-1600
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After You Apply
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Description
The event must be held in an enclosed room by solid floor to ceiling walls and windows, or solid floor to ceiling partitions and it must comply with all NYC Building Code and Fire Code requirements.
Windows in such rooms shall remain closed while people are smoking in the room unless the windows open to the exterior, and all doors shall remain closed while people are smoking in the room except to the extent necessary to enter and leave the room.
The room shall be ventilated to prevent second-hand smoke from drifting into non-smoking rooms and areas.
Only two tobacco promotion public events may be held in any single facility (building or other premises) in any calendar year. See Public Health Law §1399-q (7).
Preparation or service of "potentially hazardous food" in the enclosed room where the tobacco promotion public event is being held is prohibited. Potentially hazardous food is any food that consists in whole or in part of milk or milk products, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, edible crustacea, cooked potato, cooked rice, cooked pasta or other ingredients, including synthetic ingredients, capable of supporting pathogens (bacteria that may make a person ill if consumed). See New York City Health Code §81.03 (ee).
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Operating and Renewing
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Description
Review the Prerequisites above and gather all required documents.
Make electronic versions of all documents required for applying for a permit. You will upload these documents into the online permit system. The following document types can be uploaded: PDF, JPG, GIF, PNG, XLS, XLSX, DOC, DOCX, VSD, and TXT.

At least 14 days before the event, create an account with the NYC Online Licensing system. Payment is required to complete and submit the application so applicants should have their credit or debit card information readily available. Partially completed applications may be saved and returned to later for completion.

If you have an account, log in and provide your password. You do not need to create a new account for each tobacco event. You can apply for a new event using the same Online Account.

Select Register a Tobacco Event and enter the requested information into each field. Fields with an asterisk (*) are required. Applicants will be requested to upload copies of the documents identified in the Prerequisites section above. These documents can be uploaded individually or as a single file.
Pay with a credit or debit card to complete the application.
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Ready to Apply?
APPLY ONLINE
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How to Apply
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Additional
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applyOnline
At least 14 days before the event, submit the completed Application form, required supporting documents, and check or money order for fee payment, in person or by mail to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Food Safety and Community Sanitation.
contact-info
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)
Bureau of Food Safety & Community Sanitation
125 Worth Street, 10th Floor
New York
NY
10013
(212) 676-1600
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will process the application and will contact the applicant. If after 14 days the applicant should contact the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in person or by phone.
contact-info
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)
Bureau of Food Safety & Community Sanitation
125 Worth Street, 10th Floor
New York
NY
10013
(212) 676-1600
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How to Apply
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Additional
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applyInPerson
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How to Apply
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applyByMail
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Operating and Renewing
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renewOnline
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Operating and Renewing
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renewInPerson
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Operating and Renewing
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renewByMail
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)
Bureau of Food Safety & Community Sanitation
125 Worth Street, 10th Floor
New York
NY
10013
http://nyc.gov/health
(212) 676-1600
Smoking Exemption
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About
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