Minors in Madison had a harder time buying cigarettes in 2007, as only one in 10 vendors sold them tobacco, down from one in five vendors in 2006, according to a report released Wednesday.

A survey conducted by the Department of Public Health for Madison revealed 27 out of 333, or 8.1 percent of tobacco vendors throughout the city, sold tobacco products to minors last year.

The results for Dane County were higher, with 14.5 percent of vendors selling tobacco to minors.

“We’re happy to see that most vendors in Madison and Dane County aren’t selling tobacco to minors,” Ryan Sheahan, Tobacco-Free Dane County Coalition Coordinator, said in a statement.

Wisconsin law requires DPH to inspect county businesses for compliance with tobacco laws at least twice a year as part of Wisconsin Wins, a program that aims to reduce illegal sales of tobacco to young people.

Results showed city and county vendors that were part of the inspection checked for identification 88.3 percent of the time, with convenience and gas stations complying the least.

Of the 336 convenience and gas stations surveyed, 57 sold tobacco to minors.

According to the report, all four hotels polled checked for ID when minors asked for cigarettes.

In 2006, 18.3 percent of the 463 vendors polled sold tobacco to minors, 10 percent higher than 2007’s findings.

Although the numbers are down compared to 2006, Sheahan said there are still too many vendors not asking for ID when selling tobacco products.

Lyle Burmeister, the youth tobacco control coordinator for Dane County, said the survey was conducted by having two minors between 15 and 18 years old attempt to buy cigarettes at vendors across the county while accompanied by an adult.

Burmeister said the youths do not carry fake IDs or try to look older than they are. If the store clerk asks the youths their ages, they must tell the clerk their real birthdays.

“We don’t try to entrap [the clerks],” Burmeister said. “We don’t want to write citations, we just want to educate them not to sell to minors and to check IDs.”

The fine for selling tobacco products to minors is $217.50 for both the clerk and storeowner, Burmeister said.

Local results are over double compared to state results for 2007: 4.5 percent of vendors throughout the state sold tobacco illegally to minors last year, the lowest percentage statewide in six years.

In 2001, the rate stood at 33.7 percent, dropping to 20.4 percent in 2002. The 2007 number of 4.5 percent is down from 2006’s 5.5 percent rate.

Burmeister said the focus of the initiative to reduce the number of vendors who sell cigarettes is education. Wisconsin Wins has established smokecheck.org to help vendors stay in compliance with tobacco laws.

Regarding a state smoking ban, Burmeister said it is a matter of “if, not when.”

“Iowa sent a no smoking bill to the governor [Wednesday]. Twenty-four states now have them in place,” he said. “I feel very strong about it.”