A slightly lower number of violations were reported after members of the Northwoods Tobacco-Free Coalition checked to see if retailers were selling tobacco to minors.
Maria Otterholt from Oneida county is part of the Northwoods Tobacco Free Coalition. She says any tobacco retailer can be checked.
Last year the illegal sales rate was just under 15 percent...
"....this year we did 44 randomized checks. We don't target any business, we just go out and five of our establishments sold, so we have an 11.3 percent illegal sale rate this year...."
Health officials encourage clerks selling tobacco to card anyone under age 27 and refuse to sell tobacco without proper ID.
Retailer fines in Oneida county can be $263, or can be up to $500 if there are no prior violations in the past year, $200 to $500 if there has been a previous violation within the past year. If a citation is issued to a retailer, a citation may also be issued to the clerk.
Otterholt says training is key to compliance...
"....there are a couple of ID's in circulation right now in the state of Wisconsin. It's really important to get those trainings in so you know how to read the ID's so you can avoid a fine for your establishment...."
Otterholt says the website smokecheck.org offers free training for business owners and clerks to learn the law.
