The Mayor and City Council amended Ordinance MC- 1464 in September 2018, regulating commercial cannabis activities in the City as reflected in Municipal Code Chapter 5.10.  The current Ordinance (MC-1503) reflects the updated regulations.

General Information

No person may engage in any commercial cannabis business or in any commercial cannabis activity within the City of San Bernardino including cultivation, manufacture, processing, laboratory testing, transporting, dispensing, special events, distribution, or sale of cannabis or a cannabis product unless the person:

1. has a valid Commercial Cannabis Business Permit from the City of San Bernardino;
2. has a valid State Seller' s Permit; and
3. is currently in compliance with all applicable state and local laws and regulations pertaining to the commercial cannabis business and the commercial cannabis activities, including the duty to obtain a City business registration certificate and any required state licenses. Engaging in a commercial cannabis business or in any commercial cannabis activity includes establishing, owning, managing, conducting, leasing to, operating, causing, permitting, aiding, abetting, suffering or concealing the fact of such an act.  

Summary of the Commercial Cannabis Business (CBB) application process:

1. Download the Commercial Cannabis Business Application Procedure Guidelines by clicking here  or copies are available at the Community Development Department public counter.

Address: 201 North E Street, Third Floor, San Bernardino, CA 92401
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

2. Submit a Zoning Verification Letter (ZVL) request to determine if the parcel/property meets the sensitive use buffers and General Plan designations as outlined in Municipal Code Chapter 5.10.

The ZVL application form is available online by clicking here or at the Community Development Department public counter. Please note: An application is required because the Ordinance has a series of standards that require on-site inspection of the location and the surrounding area to determine if it meets the sensitive use buffers outlined in Municipal Code Chapter 5.10.025.

Notwithstanding the results of a Zoning Verification Letter, under SBMC Section 5.10.180, the ultimate determination on an application for a Commercial Cannabis Business Permit is made by the Mayor and City Council and an application may still be filed for this property. You should be aware that absent any amendments to the Commercial Cannabis Activities Ordinance (SBMC Chapter 5.10) the staff analysis and recommendation will note the property does not comply with the requirements of SBMC Section 5.10.250.

Turnaround time: 10 working days
Fee: $183 / Location

3. If the property/parcel meets the sensitive use buffers, the applicant may submit a Commercial Cannabis Business application.

To assist with the process, the applicant should download the Application Procedure Guidelines for a CCB and the applicable forms. Fees apply; please refer to the fee schedule below.

Application process:

A maximum of 17 license/permits will be issued citywide.

i. The 17 may include a combination of Cultivation, Distribution, Manufacturing, Microbusiness, Retail and Testing license types not to exceed five per type.
ii. If all 17 licenses are not issued in the first round, the City will open a second round at a future date.

Applicants will be evaluated based on criterion outline in Municipal Code Chapter 5.10.090.

There is a four phase review process:
i. Phase 1: Determination of eligibility of owner and completeness of application
ii. Phase 2: Initial evaluation of Commercial Cannabis Business application – comparison to industry standards
iii. Phase 3: Interview and second ranking of applications – determine best fit within the City
iv. Phase 4: Mayor and City Council public hearing and award of CCB applications.   

For more in-depth information, please review the Application Procedure Guidelines for a CCB or email Stephanie Sanchez in the Community & Economic Development Department at sanchez_stephanie@sbcity.org.

Fee Schedule:

• Live Scan - $132 per owner

• Background Review - $300 per owner

• Commercial Cannabis Application Review

Phase I - $2,647

Phase II - $2,034

Phase III - $1,708

Phase IV - $1,237

Please note: Fees for Phase II, III, and IV are due upon successful completion of previous Phases.

• Appeal - $3,217

Helpful Links

California Cannabis Web Portal 
https://cannabis.ca.gov/

California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC)
http://www.bcc.ca.gov/
The Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) is the lead agency in developing regulations for medical and adult-use cannabis in California. BCC is responsible for licensing retailers, distributors, testing labs, microbusinsses, and temporary cannabis events.

California Department of Tax and Fee Administration
http://cdtfa.ca.gov/industry/cannabis.htm
Tax guide for cannabis businesses

If you own a business in California that sells Cannabis and/or Cannabis Products, you must register with the CDTFA for a seller's permit and regularly file sales and use tax forms. In addition to a seller's permit, if you are a distributor or microbusiness licensed to act as a distributor of Cannabis and/or Cannabis Products, you must register with the CDTFA for a cannabis tax permit and regularly file cannabis tax returns.

The California Department of Public Health’s Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch (MCSB)
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CEH/DFDCS/MCSB/Pages/MCSB.aspx
The MCSB is one of three state licensing authorities charged with licensing and regulating commercial cannabis activity in California. MCSB is responsible for regulation of all commercial cannabis manufacturing in California.

CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing, a division of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)
http://calcannabis.cdfa.ca.gov/
The CDFA is responsible for licensing cultivators of medicinal and adult-use (recreational) cannabis and implementing a track-and-trace system to record the movement of cannabis through the distribution chain.