Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin that bans the sale of disposable nicotine vapes across California starting Jan. 1, 2028.

Assembly Bill 762, which Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) authored, means local vape shops and convenience stores in Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Westlake Village will have until the end of 2027 to sell off existing single-use vape inventory, according to Irwin's office. After that, retailers can sell only nicotine vapes that are both rechargeable and refillable.

The law rolls out in two phases. Importing and manufacturing disposable nicotine vapes in California becomes illegal on Jan. 1, 2027, according to the bill text. The retail sales ban follows one year later.

Cannabis vaping devices are not covered by the ban.

"The convenience of these vapes cannot come at the detriment of our natural resources and the health and safety of our families and first-responders," Irwin said in a statement Monday, Sept. 28.

Irwin's office said more than 12 million disposable vapes are sold every month in California. Nationally, Americans discard roughly 500,000 disposable vapes per day, according to 2023 CDC Foundation data cited by the California Public Interest Research Group. Those devices contain lithium-ion batteries, heavy metals and plastic.

In 2024, more than 2,900 fires were reported at recycling and waste facilities in the United States and Canada, with disposable vapes considered among the primary drivers, Irwin's office said.

Retailers that violate the new law face fines of up to $2,000 from the California Attorney General or local officials, according to the press release. State tobacco regulators can also revoke a retailer's tobacco license for noncompliance.

The bill text specifies a fine of up to $500 for a first violation treated as an infraction. Civil liability penalties are also available under the law.

Refillable, rechargeable vape devices will remain legal. CALPIRG, one of four groups that co-sponsored the bill alongside Californians Against Waste, California Product Stewardship Council and RethinkWaste, said consumers who want to vape will still have options on the market.

Tony Hacket, a policy associate at Californians Against Waste, called the law "a win for the firefighters, local governments, and ratepayers who have been footing the bill for the lithium-ion battery fires all this time."

No on-record reaction from Conejo Valley vape or tobacco retailers was available as of Sept. 29.