- Clean Indoor Air Act Application for Exception for Cigar Bar, Drinking Establishment or Tobacco Shop - Use this form to apply for a smoking exception. CIAA Application Guidance Document
- Event Exception Form - Use this form to notify the Department of Health of a fundraiser or facility at which smoking will occur.
- Private Club Reporting Form - Use this form to report the result of a vote of a private club to allow smoking.
Renewals
The Department renews annual Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA) exceptions each month according to the location of the establishments. The Department uses the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB)'s districts to determine the renewal month for each annual exception. CIAA exceptions are due for renewal during the same month as an establishment's liquor license. For those establishments without liquor licenses (Tobacco Shops), renewals are still due according to this schedule.
Starting in 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) no longer mailed Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA) renewal documents to establishments with CIAA smoking exceptions and no longer accepted paper sales forms for CIAA renewal applications. In December 2022, the DOH sent businesses with smoking exceptions instructions on how to complete the updated renewal process for 2023. Renewals will now be processed online using the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue's new online portal, myPATH. MyPath is an internet filing system that allows electronic filing of returns & payments, available at https://www.mypath.pa.gov/_/.
Establishments will be mailed their approval letter and certificate each year if they continue to meet CIAA exception criteria. Confirm if an establishments CIAA exception is still valid.
View instructions for amending information previously entered into myPATH, including appeals to a CIAA smoking exception renewal denial letter.
CIAA exceptions are not renewed if:
- An establishment fails to submit renewal information into myPATH, as instructed;
- Sales figures reported exceed the required percentage for the exception type, or
- The liquor license is not active according to the PLCB website (for Drinking Establishment and Cigar Bar exceptions only).
For Drinking Establishment exception holders, this renewal application process includes an internal review including one or more of the following steps:
- Verifying active liquor license status with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB), and
- Verifying that the percentage of food sales for the smoking area of your establishment is at or below 20%.
For Tobacco Shop exception holders, the internal review includes verifying that the percentage of tobacco and tobacco-related products is at or above 50% of the gross annual sales.
For Cigar Bar Exception holders, this internal review includes one or more of the following steps:
- Verifying active liquor license status with the PLCB, and
- For Cigar Bar Type I, verifying that the percentage of tobacco and tobacco-related products are equal to or greater than 50% of the combined gross annual sales of the establishment.
- For Cigar Bar Type II, verifying that the percentage of tobacco and tobacco-related products are at least 15% of the combined gross annual sales of the establishment.
If you have any questions, please contact the Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control:
625 Forster Street
Room 1032
Health & Welfare Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717-783-6600
Fax: 717-214-6690
RA-CIAA@pa.gov