(a) Administration. The County Agricultural Commissioner, Sheriff, or their respective designees, are charged with the responsibility of administering and exercising the authority conferred under this Chapter, as applicable. The County Agricultural Commissioner, or their respective designees, are authorized to establish additional rules, regulations, or standards governing the issuance or denial of industrial hemp cultivation registrations, the ongoing operation of industrial hemp cultivation, and the County’s monitoring and inspection activities if the rule, regulation, or standard is necessary to carry out the purposes of this Chapter.
(b) Consent to Entry, Inspection and Additional Testing. Registered hemp entities consent, as a condition of the issuance of any industrial hemp registration, to the entry by enforcement officers to make such inspections and to take such actions as may be necessary to enforce the provisions of this Chapter. To the extent reasonably necessary to verify that the industrial hemp contains less than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol concentration, registered hemp entities consent to additional testing by enforcement officers, which shall be at the cost and expense of the registered hemp entity. If samples are taken for testing, the County Agricultural Commissioner and/or Sheriff, or their designees, may issue an order to the registered hemp entity requiring that no industrial hemp be removed or harvested from the property until testing results are returned or 10 days, whichever occurs first.
(c) Violations. Every violation of this Chapter shall constitute a separate violation and shall be subject to all remedies and enforcement measures authorized by Chapter 2, Division 1 of Title 1 of the County Code.
(d) Compliance with Federal, State and Local Laws. It shall be the responsibility of the owners and employees of the registered hemp entity to ensure that it is, at all times, operating in a manner compliant with all applicable Federal, State and local laws and/or regulatory, licensing or certification requirements, and any specific, additional operating procedures or requirements which may be imposed by the County.
(Ord. 4445, passed - -2022)