Dover Board of Health Suspends Market Tobacco License, Warns Mobile Station After Compliance Check

HARWICH — May 13, 2026 — Dover Board of Health suspends Dover Market's tobacco sales license after owner failed to respond to three outreach attempts. The board voted unanimously Monday to suspend Dover Market's license for one day, effective June 9, 2026, following the town's first independently conducted tobacco compliance check on April 29, in which a student operative purchased cigarettes from both Dover Market and Dover Mobile without the Market's clerk asking for identification. Dover Mobile owner Mike appeared promptly at the hearing, acknowledged the violation — his cashier checked the customer's ID but missed the town's Nicotine Free Generation cutoff requiring refusal of tobacco sales to anyone born after January 1, 2005 — and received a formal warning. Dover Market owner Nirav arrived late via video after health agent Jason made three documented contact attempts, told the board he had never trained employees to check IDs on a mandatory basis, and expressed opposition to the generational tobacco regulation itself. Chair Kay Peterson called the operation "loosey-goosey," and the board voted 3-0 to suspend the license, notifying Nirav by certified letter; he retains the right to appeal before the June 8 meeting.