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St. Paul staff outline proposed cannabis retail registration: zoning attestation, hours and event rules
Summary
City staff briefed the policy committee on proposed ordinance amendments implementing state cannabis registration for retail businesses: zoning attestation, operating hours, youth compliance checks, temporary event permits and fee provisions.
City staff on Wednesday outlined proposed ordinance amendments to implement state retail cannabis registration in St. Paul, explaining the city’s registration role, zoning duties and proposed local rules for operating hours and temporary events.
“Cannabis registration, arguably the most regulated thing that the state has taken on since liquor,” Director Wasey told the policy committee, noting the state law and rules run more than 250 pages combined: “the law itself is about a 120 pages. The rules are about a 130 pages.” The city’s role, staff said, focuses on zoning compliance, fees and annual youth compliance checks; most operational enforcement is by the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM).
Staff said the state statute creates 16 license types but city registration is required only for retail license types; in St. Paul staff identified five retail categories that will require registration. To receive a city registration an applicant must have OCM approval, pay the registration fee, be current on property taxes and meet city code including zoning, building and fire compliance, staff said.
The proposed local rules include operating‑hour limits and event rules. Staff proposed retail hours of 8 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 10 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sundays, with an exception allowing retailers that also hold a liquor license to follow the hours attached to that liquor license. Staff said the hours mirror off‑sale liquor hours and are intended to avoid inconsistent closing times for mixed‑use establishments.
On temporary cannabis events, staff proposed a permit structure modeled on the city’s temporary on‑sale liquor permits. Temporary events may last up to four days under state law; the proposed local limits mirror liquor permit limits in combinations that do not exceed 12 days per year, and event organizers would be required to provide free hazardous waste collection for used electronic cigarettes and vaping devices. Staff also noted state law requires screening so that consumption is not visible from outside an event and that attendees be 21 and older when consumption is allowed.
Staff said the city will perform annual youth compliance checks for retail registrations similar to tobacco retail enforcement and will be authorized to suspend a registration for failures, coordinating any penalties with OCM. The ordinance would allow the city to set the temporary event fee (staff proposed a fee comparable to a sound‑level variance), while most registration fees are set to state maximums; staff said they were requesting the maximum allowed by state law for those fees because enforcement and compliance work is costly.
Zoning, staff said, remains central to the local approval process. Planning staff reminded the committee that a zoning study passed in September permits retail cannabis in mixed‑use areas, commercial corridors and neighborhood nodes while prohibiting retail within 300 feet of schools; development over 15,000 square feet would require a conditional use permit outside industrial districts. Tony Johnson noted a web map is available for business owners to check where retail is allowed.
Council members raised several concerns and requested follow‑up information. Councilmember Johnson asked about proximity of venues that allow on‑site consumption to child care and school facilities; staff said event rules require screening, security and other restrictions, and they will send the statutory screening language to the council. Several members asked the department to track enforcement costs versus state fee maximums so the council can consider state legislative changes if local fees do not cover costs.
Staff also said St. Paul would not cap the number of retail registrations, opting for an unlimited number to encourage an open market. Ramsey County cities are not electing to have the county perform registration, staff said, so St. Paul plans to perform its own registration work.
The proposal will come back to council as an ordinance; staff asked committee members to flag any substantive concerns ahead of first reading so changes can be made early in the process.
