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.
Apply for a License
On Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 2:00 p.m., the Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) began accepting new applications for delivery, distribution, non-volatile manufacturing, and testing lab license types. Application processing for these license types will remain open until further notice.
DCR only accepts applications online through our online licensing system, Accela.
Before applying for a license, new Accela users will be required to register an account. Once registering for an account, users must follow the prompts to provide detailed information and documents about your proposed cannabis business.
The City’s commercial cannabis activity license application procedures require Applicants and Licensees to follow specific procedures and use specific forms and documents associated with various application processes.
Please review this information BEFORE applying for a license.
For more information on application procedures and related resources Click Here.
For more information about application forms and documents Click Here.
All Applicants are required to first complete the Pre-Application Review process and, after being deemed eligible for further processing for one or more license types, then required to complete the Temporary Approval process in order to receive temporary authorization to engage in commercial cannabis activity. All Applicants can prepare for both the Pre-Application Review process and Temporary Approval process ahead of time by visiting DCR’s website to review related Application Procedures and Resources.
All Applicants will be issued invoices for the Pre-Application Review and Temporary Approval application fees in accordance with LAMC Section 104.19(a).
Click Here to access the DCR Licensing Portal (Accela)
The City of Los Angeles has established a Licensing and Social Equity Program that enumerates various restrictions related to licensing and application processing.
The table below contains information about commercial cannabis activity license restrictions and application processing restrictions.
|
License Type |
License CAP |
Are Applications Currently Being Accepted? |
SEP Application Processing Restrictions |
Comments |
|
Testing |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Distribution |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Non-Volatile Manufacturing |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Volatile Manufacturing |
Yes |
No |
No |
|
|
Cultivation |
Yes |
No |
Yes. Limited to Social Equity Applicants until January 1, 2025 |
|
|
Delivery |
No |
Yes |
Yes. Limited to Social Equity Applicants until January 1, 2025 |
SEAs must be verified. SEAs may be verified under the original eligibility criteria or the expanded eligibility criteria.
|
|
Retail |
Yes |
No |
Yes. Limited to Social Equity Applicants until January 1, 2025 (Phase 3 Round 2) |
Licenses are limited per CPA. To apply in a CPA that has reached Undue Concentration, eligibility must be verified pursuant to LAMC Sections. 104.20(b) and 104.06.1(c)(3) before submitting a PCN Request. A lottery will be administered to determine which eligible SEAs are selected to apply for a License in a CPA that has not reached Undue Concentration. SEAs must be verified pursuant to LAMC Sections 104.20(b) and 104.06.1(c)(3) before being determined eligible to participate in the lottery. |