“Corona” is making headlines again – but this time for all the right reasons! The City of Corona, located in Riverside County, California will be opening Phase I of its commercial cannabis permit application window in just 2 weeks on April 19, 2021 at 7:00 A.M.
This Application window will be the first round of potential permits offered by the City of Corona, with the program only being established in October 2020 by Ordinance 3321, which promulgated the City of Corona’s first set of regulations for the issuance of Commercial Cannabis Permits.
City of Corona’s Commercial Cannabis Permitting Process
Corona’s Commercial Cannabis Program is distinguishing Applicants into two categories: Storefront and Non-storefront businesses. Ordinance 3321 authorizes the issuance of 12 permits for storefront businesses and an unlimited number of permits for non-storefront businesses, consisting of the following license types:
Storefront Cannabis Businesses (12 Available Permits):
- Storefront retailer; and
- Storefront Microbusiness.
Non-storefront Cannabis Businesses (Unlimited Permits):
- Manufacturer;
- Distribution;
- Testing laboratory;
- Non-storefront retailer; and
- Non-storefront retail microbusiness.
Cannabis cultivation businesses are excluded from the ordinance and will NOT be eligible for a local permit in the city at this time.
Application Details and Deadlines
The City of Corona’s commercial cannabis permitting Application and applicable forms can be found online here.
Store-front cannabis business Applications will be reviewed through a merit-based review process out of 680 points – meaning the Applicants will be scored based on the substance of the Application and the highest scoring Applicants will be eligible to receive licenses.
Non-storefront cannabis businesses will not be scored on a merit based system and will be reviewed by the City Manager for preliminary approval.
The Application window for storefront businesses will close on May 18, 2021 at 6:00 P.M. For non-storefront businesses, the Application window will remain open after May 18th. The City of Corona has not yet picked a specific date when it will stop accepting applications for non-storefront businesses.
Resources for Submitting a Successful Cannabis Permit Application in Corona
The City of Corona’s Commercial Cannabis Program has provided many online resources for Applicants to ensure a clear application process, including:
- Maps that show potential properties that commercial cannabis entities may operate;
- GIS Map that illustrates the locations zoned for commercial cannabis business use;
- Application Packet checklist
- Application Status Update page
- Description of the Merit-Based Evaluation Criteria
If you need help drafting your storefront or non-storefront cannabis permitting application for the City of Corona, please contact the cannabis permitting and licensing attorneys at Rogoway Law.
