Cannabis Business Licensing and Regulations

At the April 6, 2022, regular meeting, City Council adopted Ordinance No. 5064 (PDF) related to including certain cannabis use licenses and regulations in the Grand Junction Municipal Code (GJMC), and Ordinance No. 5065 (PDF), which articulates the uses of the special sales and use tax and excise tax of 6 percent from the City’s regular sales tax collection of 3.25 percent. The total number of stores allowed in city limits will be capped at a maximum of ten (10).

On May 4, 2022, City Council adopted Ordinance No. 5070 (PDF) related to cannabis business licensing land use regulations including use standards, buffering, and signage requirements.

To operate legally, cannabis businesses must follow both City and State rules and regulations.

Applicant Information

The City of Grand Junction’s Cannabis Business License application process is complete, and by the deadline of 5 p.m. on June 8, 2022, 47 applications had been received. Of those submitted, 26 are complete and a list can be found on the City’s website. However, after applications were reviewed by the City Clerk’s Office, 21 were found to be incomplete and those applicants are being notified by mail with an opportunity to appeal.

Those receiving denial letters were able to submit an appeal within 10 days of the date of the notice of denial. All appeals will be heard by Stephanie Rubinstein, the City of Grand Junction Cannabis Hearing Officer.

The 26 applications determined to be complete by a committee of representatives from city departments led by the City Clerk’s office were advanced to the next phase of the process for compliance review.

Completed applications included the following criteria: business license application, zoning verification, a secured property with use authorization, an operating plan (addressing ventilation, hazardous materials, fire protection, product delivery/packaging/storage, signage, parking, lighting, legal service, and security), financial interests, consent for background checks, insurance, and payment of application fees.

Successful applicants will each have a public hearing conducted by Stephanie Rubinstein, the City Council-appointed cannabis hearing officer. After the public hearings, the approved applications will be put into a lottery for the selection of the 10 licenses available from the City.

Questions about cannabis licensing with the city of Grand Junction should be directed to the City Clerk's Office at cityclerk@gjcity.org or 970-244-1509.

License Application Hearings

September 7, 2022, at 10 a.m. at the Municipal Court Hearing Room in City Hall, 250 N 5th Street