Small Business Commission Backs Plastic Butane Lighter Ban, Inventory Plan Unsettled

San Francisco's Small Business Commission threw its support behind a citywide ban on lockable plastic butane lighters on Oct. 26, 2026. Fire data showed related blazes rising from three in 2020 to 21 in 2025. The 4-0 recommendation now goes to the Board of Supervisors, but key details remain unresolved, including how retailers will clear their shelves. In the same session, commissioners added eight decades-old businesses to the Legacy Business Registry.

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• Commission recommends support, 4-0, for BOS File 261089 banning lockable plastic butane lighters
• Retailer inventory and enforcement framework "not worked out quite yet," Fire Department says
• Commissioners float a buyback program to keep pulled stock from flooding the street
• Eight legacy businesses approved 4-0, including a 100-year-old West Portal dental practice

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Lighter Ban Clears Commission, Questions Remain

The basics: BOS File 261089 amends the city's Fire Code. It bans the sale, offer for sale and knowing delivery of lockable butane lighters with plastic components. The commission's vote is advisory. The Board of Supervisors makes the final decision.

Why it matters: Smoke shops, corner stores and other small retailers would bear the compliance burden. The penalties are real money for a small operator: $500 for a first violation and $1,000 for each subsequent violation within one year.

Where things stand: Sophie Marie, chief of staff to Board President Mandelman, presented the ordinance. She said the Fire Department recorded about 31 butane-related fires from 2020 to 2025, with more than $3.2M in damage. Annual incidents climbed sevenfold over that period, from three to 21.

Marie stressed that the ban is narrowly drawn. "It does not prohibit the sale of unlocked butane lighters," she said. Lockable lighters with aluminum or alloy bodies are also exempt, and so are online sales. The Fire Department would enforce the ban, and the City Attorney could seek relief. Marie said her office consulted the Golden Gate Restaurant Association and the Building and Construction Trades Council. Commissioners praised that outreach.

The other side: Commissioners supported the goal but pressed on the gaps. Commissioner William Ortiz-Cartagena raised the most obvious loophole: "I want to make sure that we have some tools to make sure that they don't get circumvented and then you just shop online, right?"

Marie said the city's hands are tied. "Unfortunately, there is a federal preemption to being able to ban it for online sales as of right now," she said.

Commissioner Dimitri Thierry Cornet focused on the retailer's side of the counter. "What kind of timeline would they have to get this inventory off their shelves?" he asked. Marie said the law would take effect 30 days after signing, and the Fire Department would design the notification process. Captain Tracy O'Keefe of the San Francisco Fire Department was candid about the inventory question: "We do not have that worked out quite yet."

O'Keefe said enforcement would come by citation, triggered through 311 complaints or referrals from other agencies. "It would definitely be complaint-driven," he said.

Buyback idea: Commissioner Ron Benitez suggested a buyback program for existing stock. Commission President Cynthia Huie asked whether the supervisor's office could help broker buyback partnerships. Marie said a buyback is not part of the legislation. "It's more under the provision of the mayor's office because there's a fiscal impact to the city on that," she said. She offered to raise the idea with that office.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Cornet moved to support the ordinance, and Huie seconded. The motion passed by roll call (For: 4, Huie, Cornet, Benitez, Ortiz-Cartagena; Against: 0; Absent: 2). No one from the public spoke on the item.

• Fire Department: Takes on enforcement duties.
• Brick-and-mortar retailers: Face fines and an undefined process for clearing inventory.
• Online sellers: Stay outside the ban's reach.

The commission's endorsement gives the measure a small-business stamp, even though the implementation details that matter most to shops are still pending.

What's next: The ordinance goes to the Board of Supervisors. Cornet proposed a data check-in in roughly 12 months. Staff said the Fire Department collects fire data annually and could report back.

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Eight Legacy Businesses Join the Registry

Why it matters: Registry status honors long-running businesses, many of them family-owned, and makes them eligible for the city's legacy business support programs.

Where things stand: Michelle Reynolds, programs and communications manager for the Office of Small Business, presented eight applicants. All eight received positive recommendations from the Historic Preservation Commission:

• 17th Anowi Market (Castro, since 1987)
• Alamo Square Cleaners (Divisadero, 1996)
• Duxford Printing (Chinatown, 1989)
• Growney Dental Group (West Portal)
• Mars Bar and Restaurant (SoMa)
• Micro Tracers (Bayview-Hunters Point, 1961)
• Sackett Designs (SoMa, 1990)
• San Francisco Tsunami Aquatics (Castro, 1986)

Owner voices: Kevin Growney, owner of Growney Dental Group, said his grandfather founded the practice in 1926. "We reached 100 years this year," he said. He described serving multiple generations of families and thanked the commission for its legacy work.

A representative of Duxford Printing described how the Chinatown shop has adapted. Changes include a new website, a new team and more networking, along with serving international visitors during recent AI summits. "People come in with a problem and they leave with a smile," she said. She credited founder William Seto.

Commissioners responded with personal reflections. "That's true small business right there," said Ortiz-Cartagena. Benitez praised the printer's approach: "It's not just about business transactions, but this personal kind of relationship."

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Huie moved approval, and Cornet seconded. The motion passed by roll call (For: 4, Huie, Cornet, Benitez, Ortiz-Cartagena; Against: 0; Absent: 2).

The approvals span a wide geography, from Chinatown and the Castro to SoMa and Bayview-Hunters Point. The list includes a market, a cleaner, a printer, a dental practice, a bar and a swim program.

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Minor Items

• Legacy grant rules now in effect: The Office of Small Business director said revised Business Stabilization Grant rules took effect after the Board of Supervisors did not respond. New applicants are capped at five grants over five consecutive years. Grants run up to $4.50 per square foot. Landlords must apply within one year of a new lease and disclose a commitment to 10 hours of technical assistance for the tenant.
• Home kitchen item pulled: Huie removed BOS File 261052, on Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations, to be continued at an unspecified later date.
• Chinatown trash push: Huie described a town hall on Chinatown trash and dumping. Participants included DPH, DPW, the Department of Environment, the Mayor's Office Director of Innovation and Recology.
• Neighborhood openings: Commissioners highlighted new and reopened businesses in the Excelsior, Fillmore and Divisadero corridors, including El Buen Comer joining Thrive City at Chase Center.
• Minutes approved: The commission approved its Sept. 28, 2026, minutes (For: 4; Against: 0; Absent: 2).

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Looking Ahead

The director warned of an anticipated very strong El Niño season. The Office of Small Business will co-host a flood-preparedness webinar with the library and the Department of Emergency Management on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 10 a.m. Community office hours follow on Thursday, Nov. 5:

• Progressive Grounds, 400 Cortland, 9 a.m. to noon
• Imperial Garden, 2626 San Bruno Ave., 1 to 4 p.m.

This was the commission's last meeting of the year.