1. Complete the LiveScan form and retain copy of results for application submission
All applicant board members, partners and managers must complete a LiveScan background check with a licensed LiveScan service provider. Complete the LiveScan form and bring in your stamped form(s) to the Special Activity Department Office after you have submitted your Cannabis Permit Application online.
2. Complete the Updated Cannabis Application. If you are identifying a site, be sure to complete the CEQA questionnaire (pages 10-15). The CEQA questionnaire requires the signature of the property owner. If you have not yet identified a site, you will skip these pages, and provide them at the time a site is identified. Completed CEQA questionnaires will be reviewed by the Planning Department and a Notice of Exemption (NOE) will be issued. Applicants will be notified to pick up the NOE and an Inspection Card will then be issued. Applicants will then file the NOE document with the County Recorder’s Office and supply our office with the stamped copy.
Equity applicant eligibility is based on:
a) Proof of current Oakland residency,
b) Income, and
c) Either past residency or a cannabis-related arrest. (See pages 4-5 of the Cannabis Permit Application Form for more details)
Equity applicants can find the police beat they reside in on the Police Beat Locator. They can also determine if their annual income is at or less than the required 80 percent of the 2024 Oakland Average Medium Income (AMI) thresholds:
- $84,600 for a one-person household
- $96,650 for a two-person household
- $108,750 for a three-person household
- $120,800 for a four-person household
- $130,500 for a five-person household
- $140,150 for a six-person household
- $149,800 for a seven-person household
- $159,500 for an eight-person household
3. Submit completed permit application and LiveScan form and pay City processing fees
Please scan completed application and all supporting documents in PDF format to cannabisapp@oaklandca.gov After you have submitted your application, come in to the Special Activity Permits Office with your live scan form(s) and the $32 DOJ processing fee per form, your non-refundable application fee of $3,419.00 for the first application submitted. For each additional permit type for the same operator at the same location, the non-refundable application fee is $1008.00 ONLY CHECKS, CASHIER’S CHECKS OR MONEY ORDERS ARE ACCEPTED FORMS OF PAYMENT. PLEASE NOTE: Equity applicants are only required to submit the $32 DOJ processing fee per LiveScan Form they submit.
Updates and changes to your application will require a Change of Application Fee: $117.00
4. Applicant follows instructions on inspection card to obtain approvals from City departments and other entities for a facility located in a permitted zone.
5. The applicant submits completed Inspection Card in person to the City Administrator's Office. Our office will then schedule your final site visit and security inspection.
Regulatory Reminder
Cannabis business applicants are subject to all local, state, and federal laws and regulations. Accordingly, cannabis permit applicants are not entitled to operate simply because they have submitted a cannabis permit application, particularly in situations that the City of Oakland Fire Department (OFD) or the Planning & Building Department (PBD) deem unsafe. Please see these updated procedures about how to obtain approval from OFD and PBD. Also, please note the Permit Counter recently re-opened for in-person services. Please visit our Permit Center Reopening webpage for full details on hours of operation, scheduling your appointments, and services offered.