Commercial Cannabis Businesses

The City of Salinas regulates the establishment and the operation of a limited number of commercial cannabis businesses, including cultivation, dispensaries, manufacturing, distribution and delivery services. The regulations pertaining to Commercial Cannabis Businesses can be found in Chapter 5, Article VII of the Salinas Municipal Code.  Permits are awarded competitively, and applications are only accepted during specified permitting rounds.

The City is not currently accepting applications for Commercial Cannabis Permits. If you are interested in applying for a commercial cannabis permit, please check the information on this webpage for future permitting rounds. Applications for administrative permits may be submitted anytime, as detailed below under Administrative Permits.

Prospective applicants may direct questions to Mr. Ryan Russell at [email protected] / (805) 547-0900 x2001. 

Commercial Cannabis Business Permits and Applications

The City of Salinas has two types of Permits which may be issued to commercial cannabis businesses: Commercial Cannabis Permits and Administrative Permits. See below for a description of permits and processes related to Commercial Cannabis Businesses.

Commercial Cannabis Permits

Commercial Cannabis Permits are required for any business that engages in the Cultivation, Manufacturing, Distribution (except as described under Administrative Permits), Dispensing, and/or Delivery of cannabis or cannabis products.  Testing Facilities and small distribution businesses must obtain an Administrative Permit in lieu of a Commercial Cannabis Permit (see Administrative Permits section, below).  Please see below for information on applying for, amending, or renewing a permit.  A list of permits that have been issued, including business contact information for those businesses that have opened, may be found in the Information Center on the right of this page.

Obtaining a New Permit

Commercial Cannabis Permits are awarded on a competitive basis and a limited number of permits are available throughout the City for each type.  Applications are accepted only during review rounds.  The City of Salinas does not maintain a mailing list for notifying prospective businesses and does not maintain a "wait list" or accept "pre-applications" from prospective businesses. 

Amendments to Commercial Cannabis Permits

Holders of Commercial Cannabis Permits may request to amend their permits if necessary.  Regulations and Forms may be found below under the CCP Regulations and Forms accordion, below.

Renewal of a Commercial Cannabis Permits

All Commercial Cannabis Permits must be renewed on an annual basis.  This date will be determined based upon the effective date of each individual permit.  Regulations and Forms may be found below under the CCP Regulations and Forms accordion, below.  Please note that renewals are required to be submitted a minimum of 60 days prior to the expiration of a Permit.

Appeal of a Decision Regarding a Commercial Cannabis Permit

Decisions by the Selection Committee may be appealed to the Salinas Planning Commission - decisions by the Planning Commission may then in turn be appealed to the Salinas City Council.  A request for an appeal must be filed in accordance with City regulations no more than 10 days following the decision being appealed.  Regulations and Forms may be found below under the CCP Regulations and Forms accordion.  

Administrative Permits

These Permits are required for Nurseries, Research & Development Facilities, Testing Facilities, and Small Distribution Facilities.  There is no limit to the number of permits that may be issued, and applications may be submitted at any time.  Applications that meet the requirements of all applicable laws and regulations will be approved.  These laws and regulations may be found by expanding the Administrative Permit accordion below.

Employee Work Permits

All persons that work at a commercial cannabis business, including contractors, must first obtain a Work Permit from the Salinas Police Department.  These permits must be renewed on an annual basis.  If an employee has a Work Permit, but then accepts a position with a different commercial cannabis business, the employee must obtain a new Work Permit.  The Work Permit application includes a Criminal History Check.

Please expand the Work Permits accordion below for documents related to obtaining an employee Work Permit.  For more information, contact Evelia Marr, Senior Police Services Technician, at (831) 758-7226.

Issued Commercial Cannabis Permits

The City has established a cap of 23 CCPs among all permit categories, which include cultivation, delivery, dispensary, distribution, and manufacturing. Currently, 19 permits are active; meaning that the permitted business is either operational or working towards operational status. Three additional permits are potentially pending. 

Cultivation (Maximum 5)

1) Emerald Skyway LLC - 1610 Moffett Street

2) Flor Cultivation - 1155 Harkins Road

3) Cypress Manufacturing Cultivation - 1353-B Dayton Street

Delivery (Maximum 3)

1) Compassionate Bay Delivery - 1051 Terven Avenue

2) Golden Essentials - 1020 Merrill Street

3) Purple Trilogy Inc - 1020 Merrill Street

Dispensary (Maximum 5)

1) Canna Cruz - 1156 Abbott Street

2) East of Eden - 514 Work Street

3) Emerald Skyway LLC - 1610 Moffett Street

4) E7 Salinas, LLC - 347 W. Market Street

5) Horizon Salinas LLC - 320 W. Market Street

Distribution (Maximum 5)

1) Cypress Manufacturing - 1353 Dayton Street

2) Flor X - 516 Work Street

3) E7 Salinas, LLC - 347 W. Market Street

4) Horizon Salinas LLC - 320 W. Market Street

5) Sanborn Distribution (743 Sanborn Place)

Manufacturing (Maximum 5)

1) 710 Combinator - 518 Work Street

2) Cypress Manufacturing - 20 Quail Run Circle

3) Emerald Skyway LLC - 1610 Moffett Street

4) E7 Salinas, LLC - 347 W. Market Street

5) Sanborn Distribution (743 Sanborn Place)