Parking tickets go to the Department of Finance’s own parking bureau. What comes to OATH from Finance is written by the City Sheriff, its law enforcement arm. Today most of it is cannabis.
Unlicensed cannabis, the one that closes shops
Administrative Code § 7-551 started on 20 April 2024. It is now most of the Sheriff’s OATH work.
| Fine | $100 to $10,000 for each day it continues |
| Cap | $25,000 per summons |
| If you don’t show up | $10,000. That number is written into the law |
| Who can be charged | Only the business doing it, or an individual owner of it |
Two deadlines here are far shorter than a normal summons.
Five days to answer a demand. Once the Sheriff asks, you have to give a sworn written statement within 5 days. Sooner if your hearing is closer.
Five business days if they seal the place. The Sheriff can inspect during business hours, order you to stop, seal the premises, and seize product. Where they seal it, the summons comes back within 5 business days, and the hearing officer has to decide the summons and rule on the seal within 4 business days of the hearing closing.
A decision here becomes a judgment you can be enforced against without any further court case.
Tobacco, vapes and flavoured products
The charges sit in Title 17, Chapter 7. The tax rules they point to are in Title 11, but Title 11 is not what appears on your summons.
| Charge | Rule |
|---|---|
| Selling flavoured tobacco or vape products | § 17-715 |
| Selling or holding untaxed cigarettes | § 17-703.2(a) |
| Selling cigarettes without a licence | § 17-703 |
| Counterfeit stamps, or hiding them | § 17-703.2(c), (d) |
| Selling loose cigarettes out of the pack | § 17-704 |
These commonly run from $1,000 to over $2,000.
Flavoured tobacco is enforced by three agencies at once: Health, Consumer and Worker Protection, and Finance. Each one sends it to its own tribunal. So the same shop can get hit from more than one direction over the same product.
Who gets it
The summons names the owner or the person in charge of the business. The cannabis rule limits it to the business or an individual owner.
These are not written to customers.
What to do the day you get one
Nothing here rewards waiting. Not showing up gets you the maximum. The sealing clock runs in business days. And the five-day demand can expire before most people have finished reading the paperwork.
Send it over the same day.