NC Steps Up Enforcement Against Unlisted Vape Products

RALEIGH, N.C. — Stores that sell vapes in North Carolina now face more inspectors and stiffer consequences if their shelves hold products the state has not cleared.

Senate Bill 257, passed this year, widened enforcement of the state’s vape directory law to state and local law enforcement officers. It also set up a task force led by the State Bureau of Investigation with members from Revenue, Agriculture, Justice, the secretary of state’s office, Alcohol Law Enforcement and local police. A follow-up measure, House Bill 268, cleaned up the enforcement language. Every retailer, distributor and wholesaler handling these products must now get at least one surprise compliance check a year.

The rules rest on House Bill 900, the 2024 law that created a directory run by the Department of Revenue. Since March 2025, manufacturers have had to certify each product every year and show it has federal marketing approval or a timely application pending with the Food and Drug Administration. Only products from certified makers that appear in the directory may be sold in the state.

Tougher penalties took effect Oct. 1. A first violation now brings a civil fine of $500 to $750, a 30-day suspension for licensed businesses and a mandatory follow-up inspection within 30 days. A second offense within a year means fines of $1,000 to $1,500 and loss of the license. Manufacturers that let unlisted products reach North Carolina stores can be fined $10,000 per product.

The law also made it a Class 2 misdemeanor, as of Oct. 1, to sell products containing nicotine analogues to anyone under 18. Starting Dec. 1, 2027, a specialty vape shop that lets someone under 21 inside will be committing a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The push comes as several smoke and vape shops have been raided in Union, Johnston and Stokes counties, though those cases involved drug laws rather than the directory. Advocacy groups and some convenience store operators have backed the crackdown, saying illicit imports with unknown ingredients undercut retailers that follow the rules.

Filed under: Raleigh NC Business News