This page provides information related to the commercial cannabis activity license application procedures within the City of Los Angeles. The Department of Cannabis Regulation has developed a series of resources to assist applicants and licensees in the application process.
Public Convenience or Necessity
Pre-Application Review
Temporary Approval
Preparing for Annual License Process
Temporary Approval Refiling
Application Modification
Video Tutorials
Notice to Department of Cannabis Regulation Industry Professionals
If you are compensated to interact with the Department of Cannabis Regulation, City law may require you to register as a lobbyist and report your activity. Any individual may qualify as a lobbyist, regardless of occupation, education, training, or professional title. A lobbyist may hold a position that includes but is not limited to attorney, CEO, consultant, government liaison, business owner, permit applicant, engineer, scientist, grower, processor, cultivator, dispensary employee, marketer, packaging servicer and deliverer.
More information is available online through the Ethics Commission’s lobbying program and publication pages. For assistance, please contact the Ethics Commission.
Notice of “Local Compliance Underway” letters. Recent ordinance amendments separated DCR’s Temporary Approval process from the State’s licensing process. Proof of a State license is no longer a prerequisite for Temporary Approval. Therefore, DCR is no longer providing standalone letters or Notices of Local Compliance Underway. DCR will assign a status of “Local Compliance Underway” to DCR Licensing Portal records in accordance with the Temporary Approval workflow and information and procedure bulletin. Applicants will receive an email when their record status is updated to “Local Compliance Underway” along with information related to the Initial Inspection process. DCR will subsequently report a status of “Local Compliance Underway” directly to the Department of Cannabis Control as part of the State’s provisional licensing process.
Public Convenience or Necessity (PCN) Procedure
The Public Convenience or Necessity (PCN) Process allows prospective Social Equity Individual Applicants (SEIAs) to request a PCN finding from City Council to apply for a retail storefront commercial cannabis license in a Community Plan Area subject to a finding of Undue Concentration.
Please follow these steps to apply for the PCN process:
- Obtain a Business Tax Registration Certificate (BTRC) number from the Office of Finance (Finance) and submit a Legal Business Entity Record through the DCR Licensing Portal. Please see module 1 of DCR’s Licensing 101 webinar for instructions on obtaining a BTRC and LBER here.
- Submit a Pre-Application Record and pay the Pre-Application Review Fee. DCR will review the Pre-Application Record to ensure the proposed Business Premises location complies with the zoning and distancing requirements in Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) 105.00 and 104.04(b).
- If the Pre-Application is eligible, submit a PCN Request and pay the Cannabis PCN Filing Fee. A PCN Request (LIC-4001-FORM) must be submitted to DCR through the DCRLicensing Portal. The Applicant also must pay a Public Convenience or Necessity Application Fee within 30 days from the date of invoice issuance.
- DCR shall transmit the PCN request to the City Clerk within 30 days of the Applicant’s payment of the Public Convenience or Necessity Application Fee. DCR will notify the applicant when a Council Fle number is assigned.
- Seek stakeholder input using LIC-4002-FORM. LAMC Section 104.03(a)(1) requires that a PCN applicant engage with and seek input from certain types of organizations near the proposed Business Premises.
- Await City Council action. If the City Council does not act on the Applicant’s request within 90 days of the City Clerk’s date of receipt, the request shall be denied by operation of law.
Submit Temporary Approval Application and pay the Temporary Approval Fee. If the City Council finds that approval of the application would serve the public convenience or necessity, the Applicant shall pay a Temporary Approval Application Fee pursuant to Section 104.19 within 30 days of the City Council’s action becoming final and submit a Temporary Approval Application thereafter.
To access the forms associated with the Public Convenience or Necessity Process click here.
On November 5th, 2020 the City of Los Angeles Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee met and discussed DCR's PCN process.
For a PDF of DCR's November 5th 2020 presentation to the PLUM Committee click here.
For the November 5th, 2020 PLUM Committee audio click here.
Notice of “Local Compliance Underway” letters. Recent ordinance amendments separated DCR’s Temporary Approval process from the State’s licensing process. Proof of a State license is no longer a prerequisite for Temporary Approval. Therefore, DCR is no longer providing standalone letters or Notices of Local Compliance Underway. DCR will assign a status of “Local Compliance Underway” to DCR Licensing Portal records in accordance with the Temporary Approval workflow and information and procedure bulletin. Applicants will receive an email when their record status is updated to “Local Compliance Underway” along with information related to the Initial Inspection process. DCR will subsequently report a status of “Local Compliance Underway” directly to the Department of Cannabis Control as part of the State’s provisional licensing process.
Pre-Application Review Workflow and Procedure
Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) Section 104.03(a) requires that an Applicant undergo a Pre-Application Review process prior to filing a Temporary Approval Application to engage in Commercial Cannabis Activity so that the Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) can determine location compliance and eligibility. During the Pre-Application Review process, DCR determines whether the proposed Business Premises location is eligible under LAMC Section 104.03(a)(3) and compliant under LAMC 105 et seq.
The following workflow summarizes the steps to successfully complete the Pre-Application Review Process and is intended to be used in conjunction with the Pre-Application Review Information and Procedure Bulletin (LIC-4002-IPB).
Click here for a downloadable copy.
Click here to access the forms associated with the Pre-Application Review Process. For detailed information regarding the Pre-Application Review Process, please refer to the Pre-Application Review Information and Procedure Bulletin (LIC-4002-IPB).
Temporary Approval Workflow and Procedure
Los Angeles Municipal Code (“LAMC”) Section 104.01(a)(47) defines Temporary Approval as a Department of Cannabis Regulation (“DCR”) issued temporary license that authorizes an Applicant to engage for a limited period of time in Commercial Cannabis Activity as would be permitted under the privileges of a non-temporary license of the same type.
Temporary Approval does not waive or otherwise circumvent other City or State requirements or necessary permits from the City, State, or other public agencies, including, but not limited, to, a Certificate of Occupancy, permit or authorization from the State.
LAMC Section 104.03(a) requires that an Applicant undergo a Pre-Application Review Process prior to filing a Temporary Approval Application to engage in Commercial Cannabis Activity so that DCR can determine Business Premises location compliance and eligibility
The following workflow summarizes the steps to successfully complete the Temporary Approval Process and is intended to be used in conjunction with the Temporary Approval Information and Procedure Bulletin (LIC-4003-IPB).
Click here for a downloadable copy
If participating in the Social Equity Program, Applicants are required to provide information to DCR to demonstrate compliance with LAMC Section 104.20. For more information regarding the Social Equity Program and related Equity Share requirements, please review the Social Equity Program - Entity Eligibility Verification Information and Procedure Bulletin (SEP-6001-IPB).
For a list of forms and additional documents associated with the Temporary Approval process click here.
Preparing for Annual License Process
On May 1, 2023, the Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) launched its Annual Licensing Application Process. Businesses with Temporary Approval and an active Legal Business Entity Record (LBER) will receive communications about next steps. Instructions will be provided at a later date to all other applicants. As a reminder, ALL Temporary Approval Licenses will sunset on December 31, 2027. This transition from Temporary Approval to Annual Licensing will affect some licensees and applicants sooner than others.
City and State
UPCOMING LICENSING DEADLINES
This timeline provides important information on State and City licensing deadlines. Printable version here.
June 30, 2023
Last day for the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to issue provisional licenses to local equity applicants.
July 1, 2023
DCC Provisional renewals become subject to additional requirements.
January 1, 2024
Last day for provisional cultivation licenses that would result in an operation equivalent to a Type 5, 5A, or 5B license to be in effect.
June 30, 2023
DCR Applications abandoned after June 30, 2023, must be refiled as an Annual Application unless the Applicant has an active corresponding State provisional license.
Last day for general applicants to file for new Temporary Approval (TA) application
July 31, 2023
Last day for SEIAs to file new TA applications.
January 1, 2025
Last day for DCC to renew provisional licenses.
January 1, 2026
Last day for any provisional license to be in effect
January 1, 2025
Last day for storefront, microbusiness, and delivery with on- site sales SEIA limitations
February 28, 2027
Last day for any applicant to renew an existing TA
December 31, 2027
Phasing out any and all TA licenses. All applicants must have an Annual License to operate after December 31, 2027.
NEXT STEPS:
Temporary Approval Licensees with an existing Legal Business Entity Records (LBERs) must do the following:
- Review and fill out Project Specific Information Form (LIC-4013) and upload it to the DCR Licensing Portal. This Project Specific Information Form requests that DCR consider whether the commercial cannabis activity is subject to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review. Some commercial cannabis activities (projects) may be exempt. This form lists some of the categorical exemptions available. Please review it carefully and note that DCR’s draft CEQA review document requires a public comment period. Please budget adequate time to be able to complete this step and meet all deadlines. At this time, the vast majority of licensees have NOT submitted the Project Specific Information Form (LIC-4013) and need to do so as soon as possible.
- Demonstrate that you have site control of a compliant location by providing a current executed lease agreement or property deed, or other evidence of legal right to occupy the Business Premise.
- Submit a premise diagram to the DCR Licensing Portal.
DCR also strongly recommends that licensees begin the process for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s health inspection and Emblem program. This is a lengthy, but required process. Additional information about the process can be found here.
Get in touch with DCR at (213) 978-0738 or DCRLicensing@lacity.org for more information. DCR has a public counter available to all on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 AM to 3 PM.
Keep in Mind:
The Licensing Portal for the Department of Cannabis Regulation will be down for maintenance beginning at 5:00 PM PT, Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
The system is being updated to:
- Purge partial and incomplete records
- Implement changes needed to support the annual license application process
- Implement other changes related to a recently passed City Council ordinance
The Licensing portal will be available again sometime on Monday, June 5, 2023. DCR apologizes for any inconvenience.
Temporary Approval Application Refiling
Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) sections 104.03(i) and 104.03(j), allow Applicants with a Temporary Approval Application that was deemed abandoned after January 1, 2022, to refile an application by submitting a new Pre-Application Review record, subject to the restrictions and the refling steps for eligible Applicants summarized in the workflow below.
Abandoned Temporary Approval Application records that meet the criteria per LAMC sections 104.03(i) and 104.03(j), will have a DCR Record status of “Abandoned - Refile”. For a complete description of the refiling process and requirements, please review LAMC sections 104.03(i) and 104.03(j) and Regulation No. 3(M) in DCR’s Rules and Regulations.
Click here for a downloadable copy
The form associated with the Temporary Approval Refiling Process is the same as the Pre-Application Review Process.. To access the form click here.
Application Modification
Business Premises Relocation
DCR has developed resources related to Application Modification: Business Premises Relocation to assist applicants and licensees in the application process and to increase transparency in DCR’s administration of the Cannabis Procedures Ordinance.
Application Modification - Business Premises Relocation (LIC-4004-IPB)
These Workflow documents are in the process of being updated.