Compliance Check Inspections of Tobacco Product Retailers

Q: My search returns the message “No records were found.”

A: Try the following recommendations:

• Retailer name data are not standardized. Entering a short search phrase in the Retailer Name field will produce better results than a longer search phrase. Please refer to the following examples,
  • Search for "smart" to find all occurrences of Retailer Name "Smart-Shop" including spellings such as "smart shop" and "smartshop"
  • Search for "Joe" to find all occurrences of Retailer Name "Joe's Place" including spellings such as "Joes Place" and "Joe's Pl."
• Enter information in fewer fields. For example, instead of entering the city, state, and zip code, enter only the zip code.
• Confirm the spelling of the retailer name and other words in your search.

Q: My search returns the following message: “The maximum number of records… has been returned. Please narrow your search.”

A: Try the following recommendations:

• Add more information to your search. For example, include the city and zip code for searches or specify a date range.
• Search for unique words, such as names of retailers.

Q: How do I search for all records before, after, or on a specific date?

A: The search application will return all results before or after a specific date by leaving the appropriate box blank.

• To search for records after a specific date, enter a date only in the first box of the “Decision Date” field. Leave the second box blank.
• To search for records before a specific date, enter the date only in the second box of the “Decision Date” box. Leave the first box blank.
• To search for records on a specific date, enter the same date in both boxes.

Q: How are the data sorted when I do my search?

A: After clicking on Search to obtain your resulting records, the data will be initially sorted by Decision Date (descending order), followed by a secondary sort by Retailer Name (ascending order). 

You can resort the data by clicking on the column headers on the search results page; however, you will not be able to return to the initial sort order except by conducting a new search.  The data will be resorted by the selected column and the Retailer Name. Clicking on the same column header a second time will reverse the sort order. When sorting on Retailer Name, there is no secondary sort.

Q: How can I export this dataset? What formats are supported?

A: The dataset can be exported to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. There are two options to export the dataset:

• To export an entire dataset, click the "Export to Excel" link on the bottom of this help page.
• To export selected results, on the search results page, click the “Export to Excel” link.

Q: I am trying to access information that does not appear to be in your database. Do you have additional information, and how can I gain access?

A: There may be additional information on a specific subject. Please see the Freedom of Information web page for information on submitting a request.

Q: What datasets are available for search?

A: At the moment, only the OCE Inspection dataset is available. As more datasets become available, this application will be updated with additional information.

About the Database

Compliance check inspections of tobacco product retailers are conducted to determine a retailer's compliance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (Act), as amended by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) and the Regulations Restricting the Sale and Distribution of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco to Protect Children and Adolescents, found at Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1140 (21 C.F.R. Part 1140). For information on FDA's tobacco laws and regulations, visit Guidance, Compliance & Regulations.

The OCE Inspections database allows users to search for inspection reports by Retailer Name, City, State, and Zip code. Additional search functions include:

• Decision Type: Choose either “No Violations Observed” and “Warning Letter Issued”.
• Decision Date: Use the calendar widget to enter one date or a date range, or search for all records before or after one specific date.
• Search: Instructs the dataset to search for the specified terms.
• Clear: Resets the search form.
• Records per page: Allows a user to specify the number of results per page, from 10 to 500.

Please note

• The OCE Inspections Help page is designed to open in a new browser window, as are the Warning Letter links that may be included in search results. Pop-up blockers may interfere with this feature.
• When searching within a date range dates must be entered in the format: mm/dd/yyyy. For example: 05/01/2011.
• Non-standard characters in the data may cause display anomalies in some records, such as inverted question mark or a small black box appearing in a retailer name.
• The search is not case sensitive.  Therefore, it does not matter whether you enter words in upper case, lower case, or a combination.