Wisconsin Set to Reopen Doors to New Cigar Bars
After more than 15 years of restrictions, Wisconsin may finally allow new cigar bars to open. A bipartisan bill aims to relax the state’s long-standing indoor smoking ban—while keeping food and cigarette smoke off the table.
Cigar aficionados in Wisconsin could soon find more places to enjoy a premium smoke indoors. Assembly Bill 211 (AB211), introduced in the Wisconsin State Assembly, seeks to roll back part of the state’s strict indoor smoking ban and make it legal once again to open new cigar bars—something that hasn’t been allowed since 2009.
Wisconsin’s original legislation effectively banned all indoor smoking that year, only allowing pre-existing tobacco bars to remain open. Today, just 15 such venues remain across a state of nearly six million people, primarily concentrated in Madison and Milwaukee. Under current law, no new tobacco bars can be licensed.
AB211, authored by Republican Representative Nate Gustafson and supported by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, would change that—though not without caveats. New venues would still require a tavern liquor license and must derive at least 15% of sales from cigars or pipe tobacco. Cigarettes remain excluded, and food service would be strictly prohibited to maintain the ban on smoking in restaurants.
The measure has been introduced before—nearly identically in 2023 as AB451—but it failed to pass. This time, Gustafson has taken a more bipartisan approach, with five Senate co-sponsors and a total of 31 Assembly representatives supporting the bill.
“This bill restores local control,” says Gustafson. Even if passed, individual municipalities will retain the authority to decide whether or not to issue new tobacco bar licences. This provision could help the bill gain traction with local officials, particularly in more hesitant cities like Madison, which has voiced less enthusiasm compared to Milwaukee.
This legislative push mirrors similar moves in other states. Louisville, Kentucky, and Connecticut have recently passed comparable measures, and Montana is currently considering one. The trend suggests a growing appetite across the U.S. for revisiting and modernising smoking laws—especially where cigars are concerned.
AB211 was formally introduced in late April and is currently under review by the Committee on State Affairs. A companion bill, SB211, is also making its way through the state Senate. If all goes well, Gustafson hopes the measure could reach the governor’s desk before the end of summer.
For cigar lovers in Wisconsin, this could mark a long-awaited return to civilised indoor smoking spaces—and a major win for premium cigar culture in the Midwest.
