It is a criminal offense to sell tobacco products in the State of Idaho without a tobacco permit.  In order to legally sell tobacco products to the public in Idaho, retailers must have an Idaho tobacco permit, issued by the Department of Health and Welfare's Idaho Tobacco Project.

Tobacco permits are issued free of charge and must be secured before beginning the sale of tobacco products to the public.  All tobacco permits expire on December 31 of each calendar year and must be renewed annually.

A tobacco product is any substance that contains tobacco including, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, snuff, smoking tobacco, tobacco papers and smokeless tobacco.

There are three ways to acquire an Idaho Tobacco Permit.  No matter which option you choose, it takes about five minutes to complete.

You can complete the application online.  Click on the link on the right to either apply for a first time permit or renew an existing permit.  Once all the data is entered, you simply press a button and your permit will print on your printer.

You can submit a written request to the Idaho Tobacco Project to receive an application packet.  The mailing address is Department of Health and Welfare, POB 83720, 3rd Floor, Boise, ID  83720-0036.

The third way is to call the Idaho Tobacco Project at 208-334-0642 and request a tobacco permit.  The pertinent information is collected while you are on the phone.  Once all the data has been entered a hard copy of your permit will be printed and mailed out to your business along with other valuable information.