If you are interested in starting a cannabis business in San Luis Obispo County, you should become familiar with State and Local regulations. 

• State regulations refer to the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC).
• County regulations refer to SLO County Ordinances and Resolutions.

Take a look at our flow chart for a quick overview of the process to being an operational cannabis business.

The application process can be tedious so we are here to make things go as smooth as possible. To help us do that, contact the Sheriff's Office at [email protected] and the Planning & Building Department to schedule a Pre-Application Meeting.

Please provide at a minimum your name(s), contact information, proposed location (physical address and APN), and type(s) of cannabis business licenses proposed. We will reach out to set up a Pre-Application meeting. During the meeting we will answer any questions and review your proposed project with you. 

• The base fee for a Pre-Application Meeting is $796.00. Please note, If an application is submitted within six months of the meeting, this fee will be credited towards the application fees. 

The applicant provides a written letter to all property owners within 1,000 feet of the proposed project site informing them of the proposed project. Notify Neighbors 10 days before submitting application.

The applicant needs to complete a Planning & Building application package and schedule an intake meeting with planning staff to submit the completed application package and pay all applicable fees.

The applicant needs to schedule a Background Check and Live Scan with the Sheriff's Office, fill out the necessary forms, and pay all applicable fees. Contact [email protected] to schedule and pay Sheriff's Office fees.

• Cultivation - Phase 1, $14,142.00 
• Non Cultivation - Phase 1, $14,142.00 
• Testing Facility - TBD

The applicant needs to complete a Cannabis Business License Application and contact the Tax Collectors Office at [email protected] or call (805) 781-5831 to schedule an appointment to begin the license process. The fee for a new business license is $44.00 per license. Every county cannabis business license is also required to pay a Cannabis Tax Compliance fee of $3,918.00 at the time of license issuance. 

• Note: The Cannabis Tax Compliance fee is due annually at the time of license renewal, as well as $34.00 per license renewal annually. 

Planning & Building Department reviews the applicant's land use application package that was submitted. Parts of the application will be referred to other agencies throughout the county for their review, ensuring the application meets the associated requirements (e.g. fire department, air polution control, environmental health, public works, agriculture/weights and measures etc.)

The Sheriff's Office will review forms submitted, conduct background investigation, review live scan results, review security plan, and review operations plan. 

The Planning & Building Department confirms the land use application, business license application, Sheriff's Office background and forms have been submitted and are completed in full. The Sheriff's Office has conducted an initial background check. The Planning & Building Department will change the staus of the application to, Accepted for Processing. 

County Employees will contact the applicant(s) to do a Pre-Inspection at the proposed site location.

This is project specific and does NOT apply to all cannabis projects. Refer to County CEQA Guidlines for more specifics. 

A California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review is completed by a third party vendor. This is to disclose to the public and decision makers of the significant environmental effects of a proposed discretionary project, through the preparation of an initial study, negative declaration, mitigated negative declaration, or environmental impact report.

One or multiple public hearings can occur with different hearing bodies deciding to either approve or deny an application. 

• Planning Department Hearing
• Planning Commission
• Board of Supervisors

Upon a decision by the hearing body, an appeal may be filed with the Board of Supervisors. 

The cannabis proposed project has been approved, Congratulations! Here's what to do next...

• Contact the Sheriff's Office to pay the fee for phase 2 of your project.
  • Cultivation Phase 2, $12,311.00
  • Non-Cultivation Phase 2, $11,204.00
  • Testing Facility Phase TBD
• Submit Required building plans and permits to Planning & Building.
• Satisfy all of the projects Conditions of Approval.

The applicant applies for all applicable State licenses. Check with planning staff to determine if the proposed project is eligible for concurrent processing of State license applications prior to County approval.

**Cautionary - prior applicants have advised the state licening process can take up to six months, keep that in mind when getting close to being operational.**

Under the County of San Luis Obispo Inland and Coastal Zone Ordinances, all cannabis activities that receive a land use permit are required to participate in a County-run monitoring program. The purpose of the monitoring program is to verify that permitted activities are conducted in compliance with conditions of approval (including environmental mitigation measures) and relevant provisions of the local ordinances and state law. San Luis Obispo County is a member of the California Cannabis Authority (CCA). The CCA is a monitoring agency for cannabis businesses operating in the unincorporated area of the county. 

• To begin the process, the Cannabis Condition Compliance Monitoring Agreement must be completed and submitted to the Sheriff's Office.
• You must enroll in the county monitoring program by submitting your State of California METRC API key to the Tax Collectors Office, [email protected] or (805) 781-5831. The county will forward your business information to CCA.
  • Refer to the Cannabis Business License Monitoring and Reporting Requirements flyer for step by step of this process. 
• When the applicant's cannabis project becomes operational monthly reporting to CCA is required. Monthly reporting must be submitted to [email protected].
  • CCA Retail data spreadsheet (CSV format)
  • CCA Distribution data spreadsheet (CSV format)
  • CCA Cultivation data spreadsheet (CSV format)
• If you have questions about monthly data spreadsheet uploads, contact the CCA at [email protected]
• For information on monthly reporting for the county Cannabis Business Tax refer to Cannabis Business Tax with the Tax Collectors Office

The Sheriff's Office and County employees will conduct an inspection at the proposed cannabis business location once it has been determined all outstanding requirements have been met. If the project is complete, permits are signed off, it is in compliance with the conditions of approval, enrolled in the monitoring program, and all fees are paid, the project will receive its business license and Approval to Operate from the County.