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Recent Changes

On June 23, 2020, the Watsonville City Council adopted revisions to Watsonville Municipal Code Chapter 14-53 (Cannabis Facilities). The revised regulations can be found here. These changes will become effective on July 23, 2020. The major changes in the ordinance are outlined below:

Cannabis Businesses Regulated:

• 6 cultivation permits (up to 22,000 sf, indoor)
• 15 manufacturing permits
• 3 processing permits
• 3 retail dispensary permits
• 2 distribution permits
• Testing permits
• Up to 7 non-storefront delivery permits for cultivator/manufacturer/processers

Cannabis businesses may be located on up to 2 parcels with 1 permit:
In order to allow existing businesses to expand, all cannabis businesses may apply for a secondary permit on a second parcel in the City. For businesses that propose expansion onto a second parcel with the same ownership structure, a Minor Modification Permit shall be required. For businesses that propose a modified business structure for the second location, an Administrative Use Permit shall be required and all new owners/investors must submit to a background check.

Modification of Separation Requirements

Separation Requirements
	Cultivation	Manufacture	Distribution	Testing	Retail
School (K-12)*	600'	600'	600'	600'	600'
Park	600'	600'	600'		600'
Residential zone	250'	250'	250'		250'
Legal residential use	100'	100'	100'		100'
Faith based facility, licensed daycare, preschool or library	600'	600'	600'		600'

* Separation distance from K-12 schools shall be measured from property line to property line. Separation distance for cultivation facilities shall be measured from parcel line of sensitive use to nearest wall of cultivation facility. Separation distance for all other cannabis facilities shall be measured by path of travel from nearest parcel line of sensitive use to the front door of the facility. Separation distance from K-12 schools shall be measured from property line to property line.

Distance is measured in 3 ways:

1. For all facilities, property line to property line measurement from schools 
2. For cultivation, property line of sensitive use to nearest wall of cannabis facility 
3. For all other cannabis facilities, path of travel from sensitive use to main door of the cannabis facility 

Regula​tions

For more information on the City’s regulations pertaining to cannabis facilities, please refer to Chapter 14-53 of the Watsonville Municipal Code.  (Note that the code will be updated after July 23, 2020, to reflect the recent changes.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to frequently asked questions can be found here.

Resources

California Cannabis Portal
California Cannabis Portal | General FAQs
California Bureau of Cannabis Control
California Department of Health | Division of Food, Drug, and Cannabis Safety
California Department of Food and Agriculture | Cannabis Cultivation Licensing Regulations
California Department of Tax and Fee Administration | Tax Guide for Cannabis Businesses