Storefront cannabis retailers need the following to operate in the City of Victoria:
- Cannabis retail sales zoning
- Cannabis retail store licence from the provincial government
- Cannabis retail business licence from the City
Please follow the five steps below to obtain the required zoning and licences.
Storefront cannabis retailers must be zoned for “cannabis retail sales” in the City of Victoria. Contact our Planning and Development department to find out if your proposed storefront location is zoned for “cannabis retail sales” at zoning@victoria.ca or 250.361.0382.
If your storefront location needs to be rezoned for “cannabis retail sales”:
- Complete the City’s Storefront Cannabis Retailer Rezoning Application and email it to zoning@victoria.ca.
- The application fee is $7,500.
- Allow a minimum of six to eight weeks for the rezoning process.
- Your application will be assessed based on the City’s Storefront Cannabis Retailer Rezoning Policy.
Learn more about rezoning in the City of Victoria.
All cannabis retail stores in B.C. require a provincial cannabis retail store licence to operate, which is issued, regulated and enforced by the BC Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (BC LCRB).
Learn about the:
The BC LCRB notifies the City when it receives a provincial cannabis retail store licence application.
The provincial application is then forwarded to the City for recommendation.
The City follows the recommendation process in its Cannabis Retail Store Licensing Consultation Policy and Fee Bylaw.
The City will hold a public notification process to collect input from the community on the provincial licence application. Allow four to six weeks for this process to occur.
This is a mandatory step.
City staff will keep you informed by email about the public consultation process and fees, and the timing and outcome of a Council recommendation.
After the City provides its recommendation to the BC LCRB, see Step 8 on the B.C. government’s Apply for a Cannabis Retail Store Licence web page on how to receive an approval in principle and the next steps to receiving your provincial cannabis retail store licence.
Once you have obtained a provincial licence, you will need to obtain a City business licence.
All storefront cannabis retailers must obtain a cannabis business licence from the City of Victoria to operate.
- Complete the City's Cannabis Retail Business Licence Application.
- Email your completed application to businesslicence@victoria.ca
- Allow 10 working days to receive your cannabis business licence from the City of Victoria.
- The business licence fee is $1,500.
Learn more about the City’s business licensing and Business Licence Bylaw.