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California cannabis security requirements: a checklist of the state rules
California’s cannabis security rules sit in six sections of the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) regulations, 4 CCR 15042 to 15047, with delivery and transport rules nearby. This checklist turns them into 27 lines a retailer, delivery service or distributor can walk through, each with the section it comes from.
Printable checklist
What the State Requires, in Short
Last checked November 6, 2026, against the DCC’s regulation text, which includes the rules in effect as of October 1, 2026. Every licensed premises except cultivation-only sites needs an alarm, commercial-grade door locks and a camera system with 90 days of recordings. Storefront retailers also need security personnel on site during operating hours. Delivery and distribution add vehicle rules. The security sections were last amended by rules that took effect November 7, 2022; the delivery value limit was updated in 2023.
Just as important is what the state leaves out. The DCC rules set no lighting requirement for retail, delivery or distribution premises, and no rule on safes, vaults, cash handling or armored transport. Cities and counties keep the power to regulate cannabis businesses under Business and Professions Code section 26200, so your local permit can add security conditions the state does not have.
The Checklist
Print this page and mark each line during a walk of your premises. The same lines appear below, grouped in the order a walk usually runs: doors and visitors, cameras, alarm, guards, then vehicles.
| # | Requirement | Applies to | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Log every non-employee in and out: name, employer, reason, date, times | All non-public premises | 15042(a), (e) |
| 2 | An employee escorts every non-employee the whole time | All | 15042(d) |
| 3 | Commercial-grade, nonresidential locks on limited-access areas | All | 15046 |
| 4 | Commercial-grade locks on every entry and exit door | All but cultivation-only | 15046 |
| 5 | Photo badge: DBA, license number, first name, unique number, color photo at least 1 x 1.5 in. | Retail, temporary events | 15043 |
| 6 | Cameras record at 1280 x 720 or better | All but cultivation-only | 15044(a) |
| 7 | Fixed cameras cover 20 ft around every entry and exit, inside and out | All but cultivation-only | 15044(c), (d) |
| 8 | Cameras on handling, storage, limited-access areas, the security room and the recorder | All but cultivation-only | 15044(d) |
| 9 | Point-of-sale and display areas covered; point-of-sale cameras capture identifiable faces | Retail | 15044(e) |
| 10 | Continuous 24-hour recording at 15 frames per second or more | All but cultivation-only | 15044(f) |
| 11 | Recordings kept at least 90 calendar days | All but cultivation-only | 15044(h) |
| 12 | Date and time stamp set to NIST time, not covering the image | All but cultivation-only | 15044(j) |
| 13 | System alerts the licensee when a camera or storage fails | All but cultivation-only | 15044(k) |
| 14 | Recorder protected from tampering and theft; DCC can view footage on site | All but cultivation-only | 15044(g), (i) |
| 15 | Alarm system as defined in B&P 7590.1(c) | All but cultivation-only | 15047(a) |
| 16 | Licensed alarm company installs, maintains, monitors and responds | All with an alarm | 15047(b) |
| 17 | Store locked and alarm armed whenever no licensee or employee is there | Retail | 15403.1 |
| 18 | Security personnel on site during operating hours, 21 or older, with BSIS guard registration | Storefront retail | 15045(a) |
| 19 | Each guard carries a guard card, plus a firearm permit if armed | Retail guards | B&P 7583.3 |
| 20 | Guard company’s BSIS status and $1,000,000 liability coverage checked | Retail | B&P 7583.39, 7583.40 |
| 21 | No more than $10,000 retail value of goods in a delivery vehicle | Delivery | 15418(a) |
| 22 | Dedicated location tracker on during deliveries; 90 days of travel history kept | Delivery | 15417(d) |
| 23 | Goods in a locked trunk or secured compartment; vehicle locked and alarmed if left | Delivery | 15417(b), (c) |
| 24 | Every transport vehicle and trailer has at least a vehicle alarm | Distribution | 15311(j) |
| 25 | Cargo hidden and locked; no overnight parking in a residential area while loaded | Distribution | 15311(f)-(i) |
| 26 | Only the licensee, its employees or qualifying guards aboard, all 21 or older | Distribution | 15313 |
| 27 | Local permit security conditions read and checked | All | B&P 26200 |
Keep the evidence beside each line: the visitor log, a camera map, the alarm contract, guard cards and the guard company’s insurance certificate. If a line does not fit your license type, mark it so and move on.
Cameras and Recordings
Section 15044 is the most detailed part of the rules and the one inspectors can test on the spot, since the DCC may view and copy recordings at the premises immediately.
| Camera rule | What the DCC text says | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | At least 1280 x 720 pixels, digital system | 15044(a) |
| Mounting and reach | Fixed positions; clear view of activity within 20 feet of every entry and exit | 15044(c) |
| Required views | Weighing, packing, storage, loading and other handling areas; limited-access areas; security rooms; the recorder’s access; entrances and exits inside and out | 15044(d) |
| Retail add-on | Point-of-sale and display areas, with point-of-sale faces clear enough to identify | 15044(e) |
| Recording | Continuous, 24 hours a day, 15 frames per second or more | 15044(f) |
| Retention | At least 90 calendar days | 15044(h) |
| Time stamp | Accurate to NIST standards and not covering the image | 15044(j) |
| Failure alerts | The licensee is notified of any camera or storage failure | 15044(k) |
Licensees in one building or on one parcel can share a camera system if each has immediate access to it, and each stays responsible for meeting the rule.
Alarm, Locks and Visitor Control
Every licensed premises except cultivation-only needs an alarm system as Business and Professions Code 7590.1(c) defines it: equipment that detects a hazard or signals an off-normal situation, not counting fire protection systems. A licensed alarm company operator or its registered agents must install, maintain, monitor and respond to it, and the licensee must hand the DCC its alarm and monitoring records on request. Retailers keep the store locked and the alarm armed any time no licensee or employee is on site.
Limited-access areas, where cannabis goods are stored or held, need commercial-grade, nonresidential locks, and so does every entry and exit door. Premises closed to the public need a system that identifies and logs everyone who comes and goes. Only employees and authorized people such as vendors and contractors whose work needs access may enter, every non-employee is escorted by an employee the whole time, and a licensee may not charge anyone for entry. Retail and temporary event staff wear a laminated or plastic-coated licensee badge on duty.
Security Guards at a Storefront Retailer
Section 15045 requires storefront retailers, and microbusinesses with storefront sales, to hire or contract security personnel who are on site during operating hours. Those officers must be at least 21, older than the 18 that BSIS requires for a guard card, and they need a registration from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services under the state’s private security laws. Delivery-only retailers and microbusinesses without storefront sales have no guard requirement. Licensees in a shared building can share guards for the whole building, and each stays responsible.
Retail sales and deliveries run only between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Pacific time, so the guard requirement covers the store’s own hours inside that window. The rule does not require weapons. On duty, a guard carries a current BSIS registration card, and an armed guard also carries a firearms permit (Business and Professions Code 7583.3). The guard company itself must keep commercial general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence on file with BSIS.
The state’s online lookup shows a company’s standing and each guard card; our BSIS lookup guide walks through it. For the day-to-day work at the door, from ID checks to closing, see our cannabis dispensary security page.
Delivery Vehicles and Distribution Transport
Retail delivery is done by the retailer’s own employees, 21 or older, in an enclosed vehicle with no cannabis markings. Goods ride in a locked trunk the driver cannot reach from the cab, or in a secured compartment. A vehicle carrying goods is left unattended only when it is locked with an active alarm, a dedicated, licensee-owned location tracker runs during deliveries with at least 90 days of travel history, and no more than $10,000 in retail value of cannabis goods is aboard at any time.
Distributors move goods only in vehicles they own or lease, with cargo hidden from view in a locked, enclosed space. Every vehicle and trailer needs at least a vehicle alarm, and a loaded vehicle is never left unattended or parked overnight in a residential area. Only the licensee, the distributor’s employees or security personnel who meet section 15045 may ride along, and nobody under 21.
What the State Leaves to Your City and Your Plan
The DCC text has no rule on cash limits, safes, vaults or armored cash pickups for licensees. Armored car companies are a separate category under BSIS law from guard companies. If your permit requires a cash-handling or armored-pickup arrangement, that requirement comes from your city or county.
Section 26200 keeps local power intact: a city or county can zone, license, condition or ban cannabis businesses, local rules stay enforceable, and the DCC does not enforce local permits. If a local permit is revoked, the local agency tells the DCC, which starts a review of the state license within 60 days. Read your local permit conditions line by line; they are where lighting, staffing levels and security-plan rules most often appear.
Get Help
Vantage provides unarmed security officers for cannabis storefronts, with BSIS guard cards, background checks and a certificate of insurance for every client. Our contracts are month to month, and a guard quote comes with a free walk of your premises. Ask for a quote and bring this checklist along.
Nothing here is legal advice. Your cannabis attorney, the DCC and your city’s permit office answer questions about your own license.
Sources
- Department of Cannabis Control, text of regulations (in effect as of October 1, 2026)
- Business and Professions Code section 26200 (local control)
- Business and Professions Code section 7583.3 (guard card and firearm permit on duty)
- California Department of Consumer Affairs license search
- All read November 6, 2026.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Does a California dispensary need a security guard?
A storefront retailer does. Section 15045 requires security personnel on site during operating hours, age 21 or older, and registered with BSIS. A delivery-only retailer has no guard requirement under the state rules.
How long must cannabis businesses keep camera footage?
At least 90 calendar days, recorded around the clock at 15 frames per second or more and at 1280 x 720 resolution or better. The DCC can view and copy the footage at the premises.
Do the state rules require exterior lighting or a safe?
No. The DCC regulation text sets no lighting rule for retail, delivery or distribution premises and no rule on safes, vaults or armored transport. Check your city or county permit, since local conditions can add them.
Do cannabis security guards have to be armed?
No. Section 15045 sets age and BSIS rules for security personnel and says nothing that requires weapons. A guard who is armed must carry a firearms permit tied to a current guard registration.
Can a contract guard ride along on a retail delivery?
The retail delivery rules limit who rides in the vehicle to the licensee and the retailer’s employees, so plan delivery security around the vehicle rules. Distribution transport does allow qualifying security personnel aboard.