Cannabis Retail & Dispensary Compliance

Type 10 storefront vs. Type 9 non-storefront delivery

California retail cannabis runs under two Department of Cannabis Control license types, and cannabis retail compliance California starts with knowing which set of rules applies to you. A Type 10 storefront retailer sells to customers on a licensed premises and may also deliver. A Type 9 non-storefront delivery retailer has no public sales floor at all; it operates from a closed licensed premises and reaches customers only through delivery. The core obligations overlap, because both are retailers selling to the public. Both verify age and identity, honor daily purchase limits, run everything through METRC track-and-trace, maintain video surveillance, and send product out the door in compliant exit packaging. Where they diverge is physical: storefront rules govern the sales floor, customer access, and posted signage, while non-storefront rules govern the closed premises and the delivery vehicle. Getting the license-type distinction right is the foundation everything else sits on.

• Type 10 (storefront): licensed premises with public retail sales, may also deliver
• Type 9 (non-storefront delivery): no public sales floor, delivery only from a closed premises
• Shared duties: age and ID verification, daily limits, METRC, surveillance, exit packaging
• Type-specific duties: storefront access and signage vs. closed-premises and vehicle controls

Point-of-sale controls: daily limits and ID verification

Two of the most common findings at retail come down to what happens at the counter. Every retailer must verify that each customer is at least 21, or 18 with a valid physician's recommendation for medicinal cannabis, using valid government-issued identification before entry and again at sale. Your point-of-sale process and your staff both need to enforce that consistently, not just on a good day. Daily sales limits apply per customer per day and differ between adult-use and medicinal customers and across product categories such as flower, concentrates, and other forms. Your POS system should be configured to track and stop a transaction that would exceed those limits, and your staff should understand the thresholds rather than relying on memory. CCM reviews your POS configuration and your ID-check and limit-enforcement procedures, then writes them into SOPs your team can actually follow.

Surveillance, retention, and records

California requires licensed retailers to run a video surveillance system that covers the required areas of the premises, including points of sale, entrances and exits, and areas where cannabis is stored or handled, and to keep that footage for the retention period the regulations specify. A camera that is misaimed, offline, or overwriting footage too soon is a finding waiting to happen. Beyond video, retailers carry a broad recordkeeping duty: sales records, inventory reconciliations, and the METRC track-and-trace history that ties every unit you receive to every unit you sell. When those records line up with your physical inventory and your footage, an inspection goes quickly. When they do not, small discrepancies become the DCC's starting point. We help you confirm your surveillance coverage and retention meet the standard and that your records reconcile before anyone from the state asks to see them.

• Camera coverage of sales, entry and exit, and storage areas
• Footage retained for the required period and verified as recording
• Sales and inventory records that reconcile to physical counts
• A clean METRC history linking every unit received to every unit sold

Delivery, manifests, and non-storefront rules

Delivery is where non-storefront delivery retailer compliance gets its own rulebook, and it applies to Type 9 operators and to Type 10 storefronts that deliver. Every delivery leaves the premises with an electronic delivery manifest generated for the trip, and the goods in the vehicle must match that manifest. Regulations cap the dollar value of cannabis goods a delivery vehicle may carry at one time and limit what may be sold en route, so your dispatch and inventory reconciliation for delivery have to hold up. Drivers must be employees of the licensee, carry the right identification, and follow rules on vehicle requirements, route documentation, and secure product storage in the vehicle. For non-storefront operators the closed premises still has to meet security and storage standards even without a public entrance. CCM maps your delivery workflow end to end, from manifest generation to vehicle controls to the records that prove each delivery was compliant.

Exit packaging, labeling, and how CCM keeps you audit-ready

The last compliance step is the one the customer sees. Cannabis goods must leave in a resealable, child-resistant, opaque exit package, and the product itself has to carry compliant labeling, including the universal symbol, required warnings, and accurate information consistent with what the manufacturer provided and what METRC reflects. Retailers get caught here when packaging runs out, when staff improvise, or when a product on the shelf carries a label that no longer meets the current standard. This is where ongoing support matters more than a one-time cleanup. CCM works with California retailers on mock audits and DCC inspection readiness, retail-specific SOPs for ID checks, limits, surveillance, delivery, and packaging, METRC reconciliation and track-and-trace training, and continuous compliance so your controls stay current as the rules change. If you have received a notice to comply or failed an inspection, we build the corrective-action plan and fix the underlying process, working alongside your cannabis attorney rather than in place of one. To see where your retail or delivery operation stands, book a compliance consult and we will walk your requirements with you.

• Mock audits and DCC inspection readiness for storefront and delivery
• Retail SOPs: ID and limits, surveillance, delivery manifests, exit packaging
• METRC reconciliation and track-and-trace training for your team
• Continuous compliance and corrective-action support alongside your attorney