A. Maximum Number of Permits. The number of regulatory permits for dispensaries is limited to no more than two permits plus an additional permit per every 25,000 residents. Said permits may be issued for medical (Type M) or adult use (Type A) businesses as allowed by the State. However, the City Council may, but is not required to, reserve one of the allowed permits for exclusively a medical cannabis dispensary. No applications for regulatory permits shall be accepted or considered for approval by the City until authorized by the City Council, and shall only be accepted under the terms and conditions specifically established by the City Council.
B. Regulatory Permit/Fees.
1. Regulatory Permit. No person or entity shall operate a Cannabis Dispensary within the City of Porterville without first obtaining a Cannabis Regulatory Permit from the City. The Regulatory Permit shall be site specific and shall specifically identify the commercial cannabis activity that will be allowed at that site. No commercial cannabis activity will be allowed unless specifically identified in the Regulatory Permit.
2. Request for Proposals Processes. The City may conduct initial request for proposals processes for regulatory permit applications (commercial and/or medical), once it determines when dispensary regulatory permits shall become available, and thereafter as such permits become available. Nothing in this Chapter or Code shall be construed to create an obligation for the City to conduct a request for proposals process for, or to create an obligation to grant a permit to, any cannabis dispensary. The City Council may authorize the initiation of the Request for Proposals Process at any time for any one or more of the available permits, up to the maximum number permitted by this Article.
3. Medical Cannabis Dispensaries.
a. If, after one full year from the City’s first issuance of a Request for Proposals solely for a Medical Cannabis Dispensary, no responses are received within the prescribed time period for such responses, the City Council may opt to allow the permit reserved for a medical dispensary to be utilized for an adult-use dispensary, as otherwise permitted by this Chapter.
b. Any Medical Cannabis Dispensary established pursuant to this Chapter must be in operation for a full year before it will be eligible to apply for any transition to an adult-use dispensary (Type A), and any medical cannabis dispensary applying for a transition shall be subject to all the requirements of this Chapter, including applying for a new regulatory permit and entering into a new development agreement.
4. Permit Availability at the Discretion of the City Council. The City shall maintain complete discretion over whether any permit approvals are made, how many permit approvals are made, when permits shall be issued, where the uses may be located (subject to Chapter 21), the terms and conditions under which any or all of the permits are issued, and the manner of permit approvals.
5. Fees. All related fees and charges associated with conducting a request for proposals process, regulatory fee application process, and the granting, administering, and enforcing of the regulatory permits, and any other City costs related to the operations of a dispensary shall be established by Resolution(s) of the City Council, which may be amended form time to time.
C. Development Agreement. No approval required by this Article shall be given for any permit for a dispensary unless the City Council prior to or concurrently with approves a Development Agreement, setting forth the terms and conditions under which the commercial cannabis activity will operate in addition to the requirements of this Article, all other local ordinances and regulations, state law and such other terms and conditions that will protect and promote the public health, safety and welfare. No use or operation under any permit for a dispensary shall be allowed to begin until the development agreement is effective.
D. State Law and Other State Laws. The cannabis dispensary shall at all times be in compliance with State Law and the implementing regulations, as they may be amended from time to time, as well as all required State license(s) under State Law, and any other applicable State law. The Operator shall obtain required licenses under State Law prior to opening for business, or if the State is not ready to issue licenses under State Law prior to the time of opening, within twelve (12) months of the State being ready to issue the required license(s). Provided, however, that the Operator shall at all times be in compliance with all other requirements of State Law and implementing regulations, and any other applicable State law, regardless of the timing of the issuance of a license under State Law. The Operator shall meet or exceed the health and safety requirements of State Law in any operations relating to recreational cannabis.
E. Register of Employees. The Operator shall maintain a current register of the names of persons required to have Employee Permits. The register shall be available to the Police Chief at all times immediately upon request. All agents, officers, or other persons acting for or employed by a licensee shall display a laminated identification badge issued by the licensee. The identification badge shall, at a minimum, include the licensee’s “doing business as” name and license number, the employee’s first and last name, and a color photograph of the employee that shows the full front of the employee’s face and that is at least 2 inches by 2 inches in size.
F. Labeling. All cannabis products offered to customers at a retail location must provide testing and labeling at a minimum as required by State law and in compliance with any additional City regulations and as they may be amended.
G. Signage. All signage shall be subject to approval by the City of Porterville and consistent with the City’s Signage Ordinances, and any other policies or guidelines adopted by the City.
H. Alcoholic Beverages. Alcohol for personal consumption shall not be provided, stored, kept, located, sold, dispensed, or used on the Premises.
I. Transportation. Transportation shall only be conducted according to activity permitted by State law.
J. Distribution. There shall be no distributions to the Premises of cannabis or cannabis containing products except from properly licensed and permitted cannabis businesses. City-licensed and permitted cannabis retailers shall not distribute cannabis as a licensed distributor within the City.
K. Minors. It shall be unlawful for any Operator to employ any person who is not at least twenty- one (21) years of age, or any older age if set by the State.
L. Hours of Operation. Cannabis Dispensaries shall be allowed to operate per the requirements of the underlying zone district and subject to the City’s noise and nuisance ordinances but in no case shall exceed the minimum State standards. Additionally, Cannabis Dispensaries shall not be open before 10:00 a.m. on weekdays, 9:00 a.m. on weekends, or remain open after 10:00 p.m. on weeknights, or 11:00 p.m. on weekends, Pacific time.
M. Compliance with Building and Related Codes. The Premises in which the Cannabis Dispensary operations occur shall comply with all applicable local, State and federal laws, rules, and regulations including, but not limited to, building codes and the Americans with Disabilities Act, as certified by the Building Official of the City. The Operator shall obtain all required building permits and comply with all applicable City standards.
N. Secure Building. All Cannabis Dispensary operations shall occur entirely inside of a building that shall be secure, locked, and fully enclosed, with a ceiling, roof or top. The building shall include a burglar alarm monitored by an alarm company or private security company. The building, including all walls, doors, and the roof, shall be of solid construction meeting the minimum building code requirements for commercial structures and include material strong enough to prevent entry except through an open door.
O. Premises Security. The following security conditions shall apply:
1. Alarm System (both perimeter, fire and panic). A licensee shall maintain an alarm system as defined in Business and Professions Code section 7590.1(n). A licensee shall ensure a licensed alarm company operator or one or more of its registered alarm agents installs, maintains, monitors, and responds to the alarm system.
2. Remote monitoring of alarm systems.
3. Exterior lighting systems for after-hours security.
4. Exterior and interior camera systems approved by the Police Chief. The camera systems shall meet the minimum requirements of State Law, include interior monitoring of all access points of the site from the interior, and be of a minimum 5 mega pixels in resolution. Cameras shall record continuously 24 hours per day and at a minimum of 20 frames per second. Areas monitored are defined by State law.
5. All security systems at the site are attached to an uninterruptable power supply that provide continuous power.
6. The Porterville Police Department or Department designee shall have access to all security systems.
7. Subject to the provisions below regarding the use and handling of Confidential Information, IP access for remote monitoring of security cameras by the Porterville Police Department or Department designee.
8. Subject to the provisions below regarding the use and handling of Confidential Information, any and all video or audio tape recordings made for security or other purposes shall be marked with the date and time made and shall be kept, in an unaltered state, for a period of thirty (30) days and must be made available to the Porterville Police Department or Department designee for duplication upon demand. In addition, upon request by the Porterville Police Department the Responsible Party shall duplicate the records for the Porterville Police Department or Department designee.
9. Hardened bullet resistant windows for exterior windows as part of any new or existing construction.
10. Accounting software systems need to be in place to provide audit trails of both product and cash, where applicable.
11. Electronic track and trace systems for cannabis products shall be utilized as approved by the City and as required by State law.
12. Premises may be inspected and records of the Business Owner audited by the City for compliance on a quarterly basis or at any reasonable time at the City’s discretion.
13. State of the art network security protocols and equipment need to be in place to protect computer information.
14. The foregoing requirements shall be approved by the Police Chief prior to commencing operations. The Police Chief may supplement these security requirements once operations begin, subject to review by the City Council if requested by the Business Owner.
15. The City, Police Chief, Police Department employees, and any other law enforcement official acting under the direction of the Police Chief who access the Premises and video and/or audio feeds or recordings of the Premises (“Recipients”) may receive or be provided with confidential information relating to the Cannabis dispensary, which may include the following: data, records, plans, and matters relating to customers, vendors, tenants, agreements, and business records (collectively “Confidential Information”).To the extent Confidential Information is acquired without a warrant for access to the Premises and video and/or audio feeds or recordings as authorized under this section, the Recipients shall, to the maximum extent possible, keep such Confidential Information confidential and not disclose the Confidential Information to any third parties. Provided, however, that the Recipients may disclose Confidential Information to the State or Federal courts in California in connection with any criminal law enforcement action against the Business Owner or Operator, (including its employees, contractors and agents conducting business within the Premises) arising from or related to the Cannabis dispensary, but only to the extent it is necessary and relevant to such criminal prosecution, and the Recipients shall file any such documents under seal to the extent they contain any Confidential Information. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the City may disclose Confidential Information:
a. As may be required by the California Public Records Act or pursuant to a civil subpoena, provided however, the City shall notify the Operator and provide the Operator with a reasonable opportunity to obtain a protective order before disclosing the Confidential Information
b. In connection with any City enforcement proceeding relating to compliance with City’s Municipal Code and this section, but only to the extent the Confidential Information is relevant to the proceeding.
P. Delivery.
1. All deliveries of cannabis goods must be performed by a delivery employee of a licensed dispensary.
2. Each delivery employee of a licensed dispensary shall be at least 21 years of age.
3. A licensed dispensary shall not use the services of an independent contractor or courier service to deliver cannabis goods.
4. All deliveries of cannabis goods shall be made in person. A delivery of cannabis goods shall not be made through the use of an unmanned vehicle.
5. A delivery employee begins the process of delivering when the delivery employee leaves the dispensary premises with the cannabis goods for delivery. The process of delivering ends when the delivery employee returns to the licensed dispensary premises after delivering the cannabis goods to the cannabis patients or primary caregivers.
6. A delivery employee of a licensed dispensary shall, during deliveries, carry a copy of the dispensary’s current license, the employee’s government-issued identification, and an employer provided badge containing a picture and the name of the delivery employee.
7. A licensed dispensary shall maintain an accurate list of the dispensary’s delivery employees.
Q. Deliveries of Supplies and Transportation of Product. The following rules apply to the deliveries and transportation:
1. Deliveries to the Premises of supplies shall only occur as provided for in the diagram and floor plan on file with the City as part of the application process. Delivery vehicles shall not have any markings indicating that deliveries are being made to a Cannabis Dispensary.
2. The transportation of cannabis samples and product to and from the Premises shall be in unmarked vehicles with no indication that the vehicles are transporting cannabis samples and products. The Responsible Party shall stagger transportation times, vary routes from the facility, and take other security measures as requested by the Police Chief.
R. Premises Maintenance. The Business Owner, Operator, and all Responsible Parties shall continually maintain the Premises and its infrastructure so that it is visually attractive and not dangerous to the health, safety and general welfare of employees, patrons, surrounding properties, and the general public, and in accordance with the conditions and site plan approved with the Development Agreement. The Premises of the Cannabis Dispensary shall not be maintained in a manner that causes a public or private nuisance.
S. In addition to any regulations, policies, or procedures authorized to be adopted by the City in accordance with this Article or this Code, the City Manager, or his or her designee, is authorized to establish any addition rules, regulations, policies and standards governing the: application review and approval process, the issuance, denial or renewal of cannabis dispensary regulatory permits, the ongoing operation of commercial cannabis dispensary businesses and the City’s oversight of same; and/or concerning any other subject determined to be necessary to carry out the intent and purposes of this Article. Additional rules, regulations, policies and standards shall be published to the City’s website and maintained and available to the public if the Office of the City Clerk.
T. Indemnification and Limitations on City’s Liability.
1. To the fullest extent permitted by local, state, and/or federal law, the City shall not assume any liability whatsoever with respect to having issued a regulatory permit or executed a development agreement pursuant to this Article, or otherwise approving the operation of any commercial cannabis business.
2. As a condition to the approval of any regulatory permit and approval of a development agreement, the applicant shall be required to execute an agreement, in a form approved by the City Attorney, agreeing to indemnify, defend at the applicant’s sole cost and expense, and hold harmless the City, and its officers, officials, employees, representatives, and agents from any against all claims, losses, damages, injuries, liabilities or losses which arise out of, or which are in any way related to the City’s drafting, adoption and passage of regulations, related resolutions, policies, rules and guidelines, allowing cannabis dispensaries or in the future making any regulatory amendments; the City’s issuance of the regulatory permit; the City’s approval and execution of a development agreement; the City’s decision to approve the operation of the dispensary; the process used by the City in making the decision to issue, approve or deny a permit or a development agreement; and/or the alleged violation of any federal, state or local laws by the dispensary or any of its officers, employees or agents.
3. The dispensary shall maintain insurance at coverage limits and with conditions thereon determined necessary and appropriate from time to time by the City.
4. The dispensary shall reimburse the City for all costs and expenses, including but not limited to attorney fees and court costs, which the City may be required to pay as a result of any legal challenge related to the City’s approval of the applicant’s regulatory permit, or related to the City’s approval of the applicant’s commercial cannabis activity, or the City’s approval of a development agreement. The City may, at its sole discretion, participate at its own expense in the defense of such action, but such participation shall not relieve any of the obligations imposed hereunder.
5. The terms and provisions as enumerated in this section related to indemnification and limitation on the City’s liability shall be an explicit term of a regulatory permit and a development agreement that an applicant and permittee shall agree to in order for same to be valid. (Ord. 1853, 5-7-2019; amd. Ord. 1879, 2-16-2021)