Tex. Health & Safety Code § 161.082 · Subchapter H. DISTRIBUTION OF CIGARETTES, E-CIGARETTES, OR TOBACCO PRODUCTS
SALE OF CIGARETTES, E-CIGARETTES, OR TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO PERSONS YOUNGER THAN 21 YEARS OF AGE PROHIBITED; PROOF OF AGE REQUIRED.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) A person commits an offense if the person, with criminal negligence:
(1) sells, gives, or causes to be sold or given a cigarette, e-cigarette, or tobacco product to someone who is younger than 21 years of age; or
(2) sells, gives, or causes to be sold or given a cigarette, e-cigarette, or tobacco product to another person who intends to deliver it to someone who is younger than 21 years of age.
(b) If an offense under this section occurs in connection with a sale by an employee of the owner of a store in which cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or tobacco products are sold at retail, the employee is criminally responsible for the offense and is subject to prosecution.
(c) An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.
(d) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)(1) that the person to whom the cigarette, e-cigarette, or tobacco product was sold or given presented to the defendant apparently valid proof of identification.
(e) A proof of identification satisfies the requirements of Subsection (d) if it contains a physical description and photograph consistent with the person's appearance, purports to establish that the person is 21 years of age or older, and was issued by a governmental agency. The proof of identification may include a driver's license issued by this state or another state, a passport, or an identification card issued by a state or the federal government.
(f) It is an exception to the application of Subsection (a)(1) that the person to whom the cigarette, e-cigarette, or tobacco product was sold:
(1) is at least 18 years of age; and
(2) presented at the time of purchase a valid military identification card of the United States military forces or the state military forces.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, Sec. 50, eff. Sept. 1, 1991. Renumbered from Health and Safety Code Sec. 161.081 and amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 671, Sec. 1.01.
Amended by:
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 181 (S.B. 97), Sec. 4, eff. October 1, 2015.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 500 (S.B. 21), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2019.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 500 (S.B. 21), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2019.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/HS/htm/HS.161.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 f27a205481675ecbae459d297fc8eae4597746c48ce5ce389c462848907021ec
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
Cited by 6 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Tex. Health & Safety Code § 161.082. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Health and Safety Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 161.0825USE OF CERTAIN ELECTRONICALLY READABLE INFORMATION.Printed as Section 161.082
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 161.083SALE OF CIGARETTES, E-CIGARETTES, OR TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO PERSONS YOUNGER THAN 30 YEARS OF AGE.Printed as Section 161.082(e)
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 161.085NOTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS.Printed as Section 161.082
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 161.452REQUIREMENTS FOR DELIVERY SALES.Printed as Section 161.082
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 161.453AGE VERIFICATION REQUIREMENT.Printed as Section 161.082
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 161.454DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.Printed as Section 161.082
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.