EXCLUSIVE: Department of Cannabis Control Inspection Forms
By Lauren Mendelsohn
October 18, 2021
California’s Department of Cannabis Control (DCC), the agency that is responsible for licensing and regulating all cannabis businesses in California — created a few months ago via consolidation of three other agencies (BCC, CDFA-CalCannabis & CDPH-MCSB) — is currently doing routine inspections of licensees across the state. The Law Offices of Omar Figueroa submitted a California Public Records Act request to obtain copies of the Department of Cannabis Control’s inspection forms, which are not available on the DCC’s website.
From our experience working with the agency’s predecessors, we anticipated that there would be at least one form used for this purpose. The Department of Cannabis Control responded to our records request in timely fashion, producing the two documents which we have uploaded below:
Department of Cannabis Control Compliance Inspection Form (rev. 07-20-2021)
Department of Cannabis Control Environmental Compliance Inspection Report (rev. 07-22-2021)
Let’s take a closer look at each of the inspection forms.
Primary DCC Inspection Form
The main compliance inspection form contains 131 possible violations and the corresponding sections from the Business and Professions Code (BPC) and the California Code of Regulations (CCR). This form can be used by the DCC for both initial inspections and re-inspections. An inspection status can either be marked as “In Compliance”, “Notice of Non-Compliance” or “Pending Further Review.”
The last page of the DCC’s 4-page main inspection form indicates that “[t]he violations noted above may not include all violations. Compliance and enforcement may identify additional violations during this audit and will notify you of such at the completion of their review. Additional records may be requested for further examination. To avoid the possible assessment of penalties and/or license suspension, you will need to remedy the violations identified on this form by the assigned date(s).”
DCC Environmental Compliance Inspection Report
The environmental compliance inspection report is specifically for cultivators. It’s broken down into seven sections:
- Background Data – For information about the Premises and the Authorized Representative
- Summary
- Inspector
- License Requirements – Broken down into Property, Premises, Waste Management, Pest Management, Lighting Diagram, Water Source, Power Source, and METRC Compliance
- Photo Checklist
- Records Checklist – Broken down into Business Records, Organization Records, and Employee Records
- Notes
Items can be marked as compliant, noncompliant, or (in some cases) not applicable.
Be Prepared for Inspections
Make sure your business is prepared for DCC inspections! The Law Offices of Omar Figueroa offers inspection preparation services to cannabis licensees in California. Please contact us at 707-829-0215 or info@omarfigueroa.com if you’re interested in this service.
This information is provided as a public educational service and is not intended as legal advice. For specific questions about inspections of cannabis licensees in California, or about other aspects of California’s cannabis or hemp laws and regulations, please contact the Law Offices of Omar Figueroa at 707-829-0215 or info@omarfigueroa.com to schedule a confidential legal consultation. This post may be considered attorney advertising.