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County Administrator's Office

Sonoma County Cannabis Program

County Ordinances

Cannabis Tax Ordinance Amendments

On April 19, 2022 the Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance amending the County's Cannabis Business Tax Ordinance (codified in Sonoma County Code Chapter 35). The Ordinance accomplishes the following:
  • Reduce the cultivation tax rates by 45% effective July 1, 2021 with a sunset on the reduction on June 20, 2023. 
  • Amend lanugage for consistency and clarification, including clarifying language regarding operator audits and providing financial records, including gross receipts data, to County consultants.

Multi-Tenant Ordinance Update

On February 23, 2023, the Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve the proposed ordinance permanently amending the multi-tenant provision of the Cannabis Land Use Ordinance (Sonoma County Code (SCC) Section 26-88-254(f)(2)) to only allow ministerial review of smaller-scale multi-tenant cannabis cultivation permits. This change to the Cannabis Ordinance was previously established by Urgency Ordinance No. 6354 on September 21, 2021, and extended by Urgency Ordinance No. 6356 on October 26, 2021, until September 10, 2023. 

This item is tentatively scheduled for the Board of Supervisors in June 2023. 

Link to February 23, 2023 Item Materials on the Planning Commission website

Multi-Tenant Urgency Ordinances

On October 26, 2021, the Board of Supervisors adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 6356 to expire September 10, 2023 prohibiting new permits for large-scale multi-tenant commercial cannabis cultivation in unincorporated Sonoma County.

Sonoma County Code Sec. 26-88-254(f)(2) has been amended to read as follows:
Multi-Tenant Operations. Multiple zoning permits may be issued on a single parcel provided that the aggregate cultivation area does not require a use permit per Table 1 A-D Allowed Cannabis Uses and Permit Requirements.

For example: On a parcel zoned Land Extensive Agriculture (LEA), multiple ministerial permits cannot exceed 500 square feet of indoor, 2,500 square feet of mixed light, or 10,000 square feet of outdoor and the aggregate cultivation area of all types on the parcel cannot exceed 10,000 square feet.

Current Multi-Tenant Permittees:

  • Permit terms are extended for 5 years from the date the permit was issued. However, if use ceases for a continuous period of one year, the permit will expire.
  • If a complete application for a use permit is submitted within 3 years, the current zoning permits will not expire until there is a final determination on the use permit application. If an applicant does not submit a use permit application within 3 years, the zoning permits will expire at the end of the 5 year term.
  • Permittees must continue to pay the monitoring and inspection fees, and are subject to at least two inspections per year. The zoning permits remain subject to enforcement, including suspension or revocation as per Sonoma County Code Sec. 26-88-252.

Adopted Ordinance No. 6356  (PDF: 453 KB)
Link to Item Materials on Board of Supervisors Agenda Website