Alaska’s cigarette laws set a $2.00 state excise tax per pack (with local taxes pushing the total higher in some communities), a minimum purchase and possession age of 21, a broad ban on smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces, and licensing requirements for anyone who sells or ships tobacco in the state.
How Much Tax You Pay Per Pack
The state excise tax is $2.00 per pack of 20, and it applies everywhere in Alaska.1Alaska State Legislature. Local Level Tobacco Product Taxation Rates in Alaska That is the floor. Boroughs and cities can add their own tobacco excise taxes on top, and the add-ons vary widely.
Juneau, for example, charges an additional $3.00 per pack, which brings the combined tax to $5.00.1Alaska State Legislature. Local Level Tobacco Product Taxation Rates in Alaska Other communities impose a smaller local tax, and some impose none. The same pack can cost several dollars more in one borough than in a neighboring area, so the shelf price is a local question, not a statewide one.
Minimum Age to Buy or Possess
You have to be at least 21 to buy or possess cigarettes, electronic smoking products, or any other tobacco or nicotine product in Alaska. This matches the federal Tobacco 21 law, which raised the nationwide purchase age from 18 to 21 in December 2019 and applies to every retail channel with no exceptions.2Food and Drug Administration. Tobacco 21
Retailers must check photo ID for any buyer who looks under 30.2Food and Drug Administration. Tobacco 21 Vending machine sales are prohibited in any facility where people under 21 are present or allowed to enter.
Alaska adds its own penalties. A retailer who sells to someone under 21 faces fines and possible suspension of the tobacco sales endorsement. Someone under 21 caught with tobacco can be fined, though a court may offer an educational program on the health effects of smoking as an alternative to the money penalty.
Where You Can’t Smoke
Alaska’s smokefree workplace law, AS 18.35.301, bans smoking in nearly all enclosed public places and workplaces. Vaping and other electronic smoking products are covered by the same restrictions as regular cigarettes.3State of Alaska Department of Health. Alaska’s Smokefree Workplace Law Covered locations include:4Justia. Alaska Code 18.35.301 – Prohibition of Smoking
- Offices, office buildings, and places of employment, including work vehicles.
- Restaurants, bars, hotels, motels, retail stores, and shopping centers.
- Buses, taxicabs, ferries, and other public transit, plus depots, bus shelters, and airport terminals.
- Hallways, lobbies, and other shared areas in apartment buildings and multi-family dwellings.
- Public and private schools, health care facilities (including residential units), and child care facilities even when children aren’t present.
- Entertainment venues, sports arenas, and government-owned or operated buildings.
Outdoor restrictions follow set distances from these spaces:4Justia. Alaska Code 18.35.301 – Prohibition of Smoking
- 20 feet from any entrance, open window, or ventilation intake of an enclosed area where smoking is prohibited.
- 10 feet from the entrance of a bar or restaurant serving alcohol.
- 10 feet from playground equipment at a school or at a state or municipal park, while children are present.
Smoking is also banned in the seating areas of outdoor arenas, stadiums, and amphitheaters, and anywhere a workplace or health care campus has declared the whole grounds smoke-free. Local governments can add further restrictions on top of the state rules.
Where You Can Still Smoke
The permitted spaces are narrow. According to the state Department of Health, smoking is allowed in:3State of Alaska Department of Health. Alaska’s Smokefree Workplace Law
- Private residences, though not shared common areas in apartment buildings.
- Your own personal vehicle.
- A work vehicle used exclusively by one person, if the owner or employer allows it.
- Outdoor areas specifically designated by an owner or operator as permitting smoking.
Alaska does not exempt private clubs, cigar lounges, or tobacco retail shops. If a space is enclosed and open to employees or the public, the ban applies, which makes the state’s rule stricter than many that carve out designated tobacco businesses or members-only establishments.
Selling or Shipping Cigarettes in Alaska
Anyone selling cigarettes, cigars, tobacco products, electronic smoking products, or nicotine products at retail in Alaska needs both a business license and a tobacco endorsement, with the endorsement running $100 per year per location and renewed annually. Vending machines count as locations.5FindLaw. Alaska Statutes Title 43 Revenue and Taxation 43.70.075 License Endorsement
Selling without the endorsement draws a civil penalty of up to $250 per day of violation, capped at $5,000 per violation.6Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Tobacco Endorsement Penalties The state can also suspend a retailer’s endorsement or the right to obtain one:
- First violation: suspension of up to 45 days.
- Second violation within 24 months: suspension of up to 90 days.
These penalties can be stacked, so one violation can produce both a fine and a suspension.6Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Tobacco Endorsement Penalties Separately, anyone operating as a distributor of tobacco products subject to excise tax must hold a distributor’s license from the Department of Revenue, which costs $50 per year.7Justia. Alaska Code 43.50.320 – Licensing
Buying cigarettes online or by mail is legal but tightly regulated. The federal Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act requires any person or business shipping cigarettes or smokeless tobacco into a state to register with the ATF and state tax administrators, file monthly shipping reports, and comply with state and local tax laws. The PACT Act also bans using the U.S. Postal Service to mail cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and electronic nicotine delivery systems. Private carriers like UPS or FedEx can still deliver tobacco, but they must verify at delivery that the recipient is at least 21, and packages must carry a notice that federal law requires payment of all applicable excise taxes.8Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act
On the Alaska side, that same distributor license applies to out-of-state online retailers shipping into the state.7Justia. Alaska Code 43.50.320 – Licensing A seller cannot simply take an order and ship a pack to an Alaska address: they need to be licensed, and the correct state and local excise taxes have to be paid before the product reaches the buyer.