1.

 Permits required.

 Every distributor, wholesaler, cigarette vendor, and retailer, now engaged or who desires to become engaged in the sale or use of cigarettes, upon which a tax is required to be paid, and every retailer now engaged or who desires to become engaged in selling, offering for sale, or distributing alternative nicotine products or vapor products, including through delivery sales, shall obtain a state or retail permit as a distributor, wholesaler, cigarette vendor, or retailer, as the case may be.

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Terms Used In Iowa Code 453A.13

  • Business: means any trade, occupation, activity, or enterprise engaged in for the purpose of selling or distributing tobacco products in this state. See Iowa Code 453A.42
  • Cigarette: means any roll for smoking made wholly or in part of tobacco, or any substitute for tobacco, irrespective of size or shape and irrespective of tobacco or any substitute for tobacco being flavored, adulterated, or mixed with any other ingredient, where such roll has a wrapper or cover made of paper or any other material. See Iowa Code 453A.1
  • Cigarette vendor: means any person who by contract, agreement, or ownership takes responsibility for furnishing, installing, servicing, operating, or maintaining one or more cigarette vending machines for the purpose of selling cigarettes at retail. See Iowa Code 453A.1
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Department: means the department of revenue. See Iowa Code 453A.1
  • Director: means the director of the department of revenue. See Iowa Code 453A.42
  • Director: means the director of revenue or the director's duly authorized assistants and employees. See Iowa Code 453A.1
  • Distributor: means any and each of the following:
     a. See Iowa Code 453A.42
  • Distributor: shall mean and include every person in this state who manufactures or produces cigarettes or who ships, transports, or imports into this state or in any manner acquires or possesses cigarettes without stamps affixed for the purpose of making a "first sale" of the same within the state. See Iowa Code 453A.1
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Partner: means a person that holds an interest, directly or indirectly, in a partnership or pass-through entity. See Iowa Code 422.25A
  • Place of business: means any place where tobacco products are sold or where tobacco products are manufactured, stored, or kept for the purpose of sale or consumption, including any vessel, vehicle, airplane, train, or vending machine; or for a business within or without the state that conducts delivery sales, any place where alternative nicotine products or vapor products are sold or where alternative nicotine products or vapor products are kept for the purpose of sale, including delivery sales. See Iowa Code 453A.42
  • Retail permit: shall mean and include permits issued to retailers. See Iowa Code 453A.1
  • Retailer: means any person engaged in the business of selling tobacco, tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products to ultimate consumers. See Iowa Code 453A.42
  • Retailer: shall mean and include every person in this state who shall sell, distribute, or offer for sale for consumption or possess for the purpose of sale for consumption, cigarettes, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products irrespective of quantity or amount or the number of sales. See Iowa Code 453A.1
  • Sale: means any transfer, exchange, or barter, in any manner or by any means whatsoever, for a consideration, and includes and means all sales made by any person. See Iowa Code 453A.42
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • State permit: shall mean and include permits issued by the department to distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. See Iowa Code 453A.1
  • Tobacco products: means cigars; little cigars as defined herein; cheroots; stogies; periques; granulated, plug cut, crimp cut, ready rubbed, and other smoking tobacco; snuff; cavendish; plug and twist tobacco; fine-cut and other chewing tobaccos; shorts; refuse scraps, clippings, cuttings and sweepings of tobacco, and other kinds and forms of tobacco, prepared in such manner as to be suitable for chewing or smoking in a pipe or otherwise, or both for chewing and smoking; but shall not include cigarettes as defined in section 453A. See Iowa Code 453A.42
  • Tobacco products: means cigars; little cigars as defined in section 453A. See Iowa Code 453A.1
  • Use: means the exercise of any right or power incidental to the ownership of tobacco products. See Iowa Code 453A.42
  • Wholesaler: shall mean and include every person other than a distributor or distributing agent who engages in the business of selling or distributing cigarettes within the state, for the purpose of resale. See Iowa Code 453A.1
  • year: means twelve consecutive months. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2.

 Issuance or denial.
 a. The department shall issue state permits to distributors, wholesalers, and cigarette vendors, and retailers that make delivery sales of alternative nicotine products and vapor products, subject to the conditions provided in this subchapter. If an out-of-state retailer makes delivery sales of alternative nicotine products or vapor products, an application shall be filed with the department and a permit shall be issued for the out-of-state retailer’s principal place of business. Cities may issue retail permits to retailers with a place of business located within their respective limits. County boards of supervisors may issue retail permits to retailers with a place of business in their respective counties, outside of the corporate limits of cities.
 b. The department may deny the issuance of a permit to a distributor, wholesaler, vendor or retailer who is substantially delinquent in the payment of a tax due, or the interest or penalty on the tax, administered by the department at the time of application. If the applicant is a partnership, a permit may be denied if a partner is substantially delinquent on any delinquent tax, penalty or interest. If the applicant is a corporation, a permit may be denied if any officer having a substantial legal or equitable interest in the ownership of the corporation owes any delinquent tax, interest or penalty of the applicant corporation.
 c. A city or county shall submit a duplicate of any application for a retail permit to the department within thirty days of the issuance. The department shall submit the current list of all retail permits issued to the department of health and human services by the last day of each quarter of a state fiscal year.
 3.

 Fees – expiration.
 a. All permits provided for in this subchapter shall expire on June 30 of each year. A permit shall not be granted or issued until the applicant has paid for the period ending June 30 next, to the department or the city or county granting the permit, the fees provided for in this subchapter. The annual state permit fee for a distributor, cigarette vendor, and wholesaler is one hundred dollars when the permit is granted during the months of July, August, or September. However, whenever a state permit holder operates more than one place of business, a duplicate state permit shall be issued for each additional place of business on payment of five dollars for each duplicate state permit, but refunds as provided in this subchapter do not apply to any duplicate permit issued.
 b. The fee for retail permits is as follows when the permit is granted during the months of July, August, or September:

 (1) In places outside any city, fifty dollars.
 (2) In cities of less than fifteen thousand population, seventy-five dollars.
 (3) In cities of fifteen thousand or more population, one hundred dollars.
 c. If any permit is granted during the months of October, November, or December, the fee shall be three-fourths of the above maximum schedule; if granted during the months of January, February, or March, one-half of the maximum schedule, and if granted during the months of April, May, or June, one-fourth of the maximum schedule.
 4.

 Refunds.
 a. An unrevoked permit for which the holder has paid the full annual fee may be surrendered during the first nine months of said year to the officer issuing it, and the department, or the city or county granting the permit shall make refunds to the holder as follows:

 (1) Three-fourths of the annual fee if the surrender is made during July, August, or September.
 (2) One-half of the annual fee if the surrender is made during October, November, or December.
 (3) One-fourth of the annual fee if the surrender is made during January, February, or March.
 b. An unrevoked permit for which the holder has paid three-fourths of a full annual fee may be so surrendered during the first six months of the period covered by said payment and the department, city, or county shall make refunds to the holder as follows:

 (1) A sum equal to one-half of an annual fee if the surrender is made during October, November, or December.
 (2) A sum equal to one-fourth of an annual fee if the surrender is made during January, February, or March.
 c. An unrevoked permit for which the holder has paid one-half of a full annual fee may be surrendered during the first three months of the period covered by that payment, and the department, city, or county shall refund to the holder a sum equal to one-fourth of an annual fee.
 5.

 Application – bond.

 Permits shall be issued only upon applications accompanied by the fee indicated above, and by an adequate bond as provided in section 453A.14, and upon forms furnished by the department upon written request. The failure to furnish such forms shall be no excuse for the failure to file the forms unless absolute refusal is shown. The forms shall set forth all of the following:

 a. The manner under which the distributor, wholesaler, or retailer, transacts or intends to transact such business as a distributor, wholesaler, or retailer.
 b. The principal office, residence, and place of business where the permit is to apply.
 c. If the applicant is not an individual, the principal officers or members and their addresses.
 d. Any other information as the director shall by rules prescribe.
 6.

 No sales without permit.

  A distributor, wholesaler, cigarette vendor, or retailer shall not sell any cigarettes, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products until such application has been filed and the fee prescribed paid for a permit and until such permit is obtained and only while such permit is unrevoked and unexpired.

 7.

 Number of permits – trucks.

 An application shall be filed and a permit obtained for each place of business owned or operated by a distributor, wholesaler, or retailer, excepting that no permit need be obtained for a delivery or sales truck of a distributor or wholesaler holding a permit, provided that the director may by regulation require that said truck bear the distributor’s or wholesaler’s name, and that the permit number of the place of business for and from which it operates be conspicuously displayed on the outside of the body of the truck, immediately under the name.

 8.

 Group business.

 Any person who operates both as a distributor and wholesaler in the same place of business shall only be required to obtain a state permit for the particular place of business where such operation of said business is conducted. A separate retail permit, however, shall be required if any distributor or wholesaler sells cigarettes at both retail and wholesale.

 9.

 Permit – form and contents.

 Each permit issued shall describe clearly the place of business for which it is issued, shall be nonassignable, consecutively numbered, designating the kind of permit, and shall authorize the sale of cigarettes, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products in this state subject to the limitations and restrictions herein contained. The retail permits shall be upon forms furnished by the department or on forms made available or approved by the department.

 10.

 Permit displayed.

 The permit shall, at all times, be publicly displayed by the distributor, wholesaler, or retailer at the place of business so as to be easily seen by the public and the persons authorized to inspect the place of business. The proprietor or keeper of any building or place where cigarettes, alternative nicotine products, vapor products, or tobacco products are kept for sale, or with intent to sell, shall upon request of any agent of the department or any peace officer exhibit the permit. A refusal or failure to exhibit the permit is prima facie evidence that the cigarettes, alternative nicotine products, vapor products, tobacco, or tobacco products are kept for sale or with intent to sell in violation of this subchapter.

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