Premises Diagrams for Dispensary Licensing in California

Designing the layout of the property and business floor plan for your dispensary is an important step in planning your store and is often required as part of cannabis business licensure. In California, this ‘premises diagram’ is mandated during the state application process by the Department of Cannabis Control and is sometimes required on the municipal level as well. Applications will be denied if applicants fail to submit a premises diagram, or the entire application could be denied if the diagram does not comply with regulations or meet requirements.

“It is important to work with an architect who has experience in the cannabis industry,” said Virginia Maggiore, Principal of Store Planning for RDC. “Otherwise, they won’t lay out the plans correctly because they won’t know the regulations.”

Since the premises diagram is such an important part of your dispensary application submission, it is important to work with professional architects with experience in the California cannabis market. This floor plan not only needs to meet state regulations, but must also comply with any zoning laws, city ordinances, municipal codes, or other local requirements.

Due to varying municipal laws, cannabis dispensary operators with retailers across the state may need to drastically alter the layouts of their stores to ensure they are compliant with differing city and county requirements. One of the most common floor plan differences between California dispensaries is that some localities require that retailers make use of a lobby or waiting area, while others allow customers to walk straight into the retail area. Other common differences between dispensary floor plan requirements in California include permitting glass storefronts or real cannabis products on the sales floor, as well as mandating perimeter fences in some areas.

Creating a Cannabis Dispensary Premises Diagram

The DCC requirements state that dispensary premises diagrams are drawn to scale and that certain elements on the diagram are identified and labeled, including:

Dimensions
Entrances and exits
Interior partitions and walls
Rooms
Windows and doorways; and
Boundaries of the property

Additionally, the diagram is mandated to show and identify limited-access areas and describe the commercial cannabis activities that will take place in each area of the premises, such as storage, loading or unloading of shipments, packaging and labeling, customer sales, and loading for deliveries. In addition to identifying areas of the facility and their intended use, a compliant premises diagram will identify where various security elements will be located on the premises diagram, such as video surveillance cameras which are identified and numbered.

Premises Diagrams for Mixed-Use Spaces

These black-and-white premises diagrams must also label which portions of the property will be used for the cannabis dispensary license and how the remainder of the property is used. This may include identifying other commercial businesses within a mixed-use space, as well as other cannabis business licenses.

When designing a premises diagram for a dispensary in a mixed-use space, it is also imperative that the diagram clearly shows the designated entrances and walls under the exclusive control of cannabis dispensary license and all proposed common or shared areas of the property, such as lobbies, bathrooms, hallways, or breakrooms.

Premises Diagrams for Temporary Cannabis Events

Temporary cannabis events are not permitted in every California locality, but the state has provided guidance for those that do allow them. Though these are not required during licensure, dispensaries must submit a diagram of the physical layout of the event that clearly indicates where the temporary cannabis event will be taking place on the location grounds, all entrances and exits that will be used by participants during the event, where cannabis waste will be stored, all areas where cannabis goods will be stored, and the specific location of each cannabis licensee who will be participating in the event.

Additionally, this layout should also label areas which will be used for cannabis consumption, all areas where cannabis and cannabis products will be sold, and the hours in which these activities will occur.

Choosing an Architect to Create Your Cannabis Dispensary Premises Diagram

Since the premises diagram could be the difference between application approval or denial, it is important to work with professionals who are familiar with the California cannabis industry and the regulations that govern the local markets. Choosing an unqualified consultant or architect could prove detrimental and could ultimately delay or prevent the dispensary from opening

“Inexperienced architects and designers often aren’t able to layout a facility that upholds the security and compliance standards of the cannabis industry,” said Virginia Maggiore. “And if they do build out, the layout and design of the facility just doesn’t facilitate the successful operation of the dispensary.”

How Can RDC Help?

RDC’s team of expert architects and designers have worked extensively with retailers and cultivators in the cannabis industry. Our architects and designers work with business owners to design successful and compliant businesses and we are ready to help design premises diagrams for cannabis dispensary applications in California and throughout the United States.