Berlin Board of Health Advances Tobacco Regulation Overhaul, Resolves Fine Structure Dispute

BERLIN — May 19, 2026 — Berlin Board of Health moves to finalize tobacco regulations and overhaul transfer station operations. At its May 19 meeting, the board resolved two outstanding questions with Joan, a Tobacco Alliance representative drafting the town's updated tobacco rules: adult-only retail establishments may open in Berlin but will not be granted an exemption allowing self-service tobacco displays, and local regulatory violations will carry non-criminal disposition fines of $100, $200, and $300 — not the $1,000 figure that had appeared on the board's worksheet, which Joan called more punitive than any of the 46 other communities in her service area. Joan said she will deliver a draft regulation to Health Agent Bill within a week, after which the board will schedule a public hearing. The board also heard that the town's $30,000 town-meeting appropriation for landfill investigation work falls roughly $20,000 short of the engineering firm's current estimate, with DEP still directing next steps. Beginning July 1, the transfer station will offer free compost collection through vendor Black Earth and will begin charging small fees of $5 to $10 for bulky-item disposal, with a sticker-number tracking system to handle charges below the check threshold.