Step 1 · Strategy License type & jurisdiction fit Weeks 1–3. We confirm the right DCC license classification for your business model — retail, cultivation tier, manufacturing Type 6/7, distribution, microbusiness, or delivery — and pressure-test it against the economics you’ve modeled. We then shortlist two to four California jurisdictions whose ordinances, moratoria status, and sensitive-use setbacks actually accommodate the premises you have in mind. The output is a written jurisdiction memo: recommended license type, shortlisted cities or counties, projected year-one and steady-state economics, and a realistic timeline per option. You leave Week 3 with a decision you can commit capital behind.
Step 2 · Local Local authorization pathway Weeks 4–18. Local cannabis authorization is where most first-time applicants stall — DCC will not issue a state license without evidence of local permission under BPC 26055(a). We run the full local pathway: parcel zoning verification, CUP or ministerial application drafting, planning-staff coordination, and Planning Commission or Council hearing preparation where required. We attend hearings with you, anticipate staff-report findings, and manage the conditions-of-approval tracker through clearance. Ministerial approvals close in 30–60 days when zoning is pre-compliant; CUPs and competitive merit processes run 6–18 months. Either way, local issues before the state portal ever opens.
Step 3 · Package Full DCC application package Weeks 8–20, overlapping local. We assemble the complete DCC annual-license package: owner and financial-interest-holder disclosures under CCR 15002, premises diagram to scale, security plan with surveillance coverage maps, inventory-control SOP, waste-management SOP, transportation protocols, quality-assurance procedures, and the labor-peace agreement required at 10 or more employees (threshold lowered from 20 effective July 1, 2024). Every SOP is drafted to your specific operation — not a template. Insurance binders, bond, and operating-agreement exhibits are compiled in parallel. By the time local authorization issues, the state package is camera-ready.
Step 4 · Submit Portal submission & tracking Weeks 18–20, timed to local issuance. The DCC online portal filing is a compound event, not a click. We run a final pre-submission quality pass against the DCC checklist — every attachment, every field, every cross-reference. Filing happens in the Tuesday–Thursday midday window when intake staffing is highest. Confirmation number captured, application opened on our tracking dashboard, and the weekly monitoring cadence begins. The first deficiency-notice window typically lands 15–45 days after submission; we stage a response team for it and close deficiencies within the statutory reply period under CCR 15011.
Step 5 · Open Day-one compliance calendar Weeks 20–26, on issuance. The license in hand is the start, not the finish. We run METRC onboarding (credentials, tag ordering, facility mapping, employee accounts), CDTFA cannabis tax registration, CDTFA seller’s permit, and any required local business-tax registration. You receive a 60-day compliance calendar naming every recurring deadline — METRC daily reconciliation, monthly CDTFA returns, quarterly track-and-trace reports — with owners and reminders built in. First inspection readiness is confirmed in a mock walkthrough before your doors open. You open licensed, documented, and audit-ready.
