Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Business Licensing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Owner of 1 Stop Smoke Shop told to cure business name paperwork; license renewal set over to April 3
Summary
The Board of Public Works and Safety continued a late-license hearing for 1 Stop Smoke Shop after city staff said the business had not provided all required renewal documents and the business name used in advertising appears not to be registered with the Secretary of State; the board set the matter for status on April 3, 2025.
Said Hamad, owner of 1 Stop Smoke Shop, appeared March 13 before the Hammond Board of Public Works and Safety to contest a $200 late fee assessed during his business-license renewal process and to explain missing documentation.
City licensing staff told the board that the renewal application had been submitted but did not include all documents required to process the renewal. Licensing staff reported that the business had been applying under the trade name Oasis Smokeshop, but Secretary of State records show that “Oasis Smokeshop” was administratively dissolved in 2013 and is not available for use unless an assumed business name certificate is filed. Staff said the entity is registered as 1 Stop Smoke Shop LLC with the Secretary of State, but the advertised name and the name on the application did not match the active entity name in state records.
Said Hamad said he had submitted an application on time and provided copies of a health license and merchant certificate; he said he was unaware an assumed business name certificate was required. Licensing staff offered to accept corrected paperwork and indicated the board was inclined to waive the late fee if the owner files the assumed business name certificate and provides the missing documentation. The owner was given until April 3 to return with the corrected filings. The board set the matter for a status hearing on April 3, 2025; there was no final decision to waive the assessed fee at the March 13 hearing.
Board members recommended that Hamad (or his agent/accountant) file the assumed-name paperwork with the Indiana Secretary of State and provide the required certificates from Lake County Health and other licensing authorities. A city staff member said the checklist used by the new licensing reviewer must be met for staff to complete the renewal, which explained the late-fee assessment.
No motion to waive the late fee was adopted at the March 13 hearing; the board instead set the status date to allow the owner to correct the application and submit documentation for staff review.
