These are the rules that determine whether you can apply, qualify, secure a location, and move through the licensing process without hitting a wall.

Get any piece wrong here - license type, ownership, zoning, municipal notice, or application steps and nothing downstream works.

This section explains the decisions you must make before you apply and the requirements that shape whether OCM will approve you at all.

Jump To

SectionWhat It CoversLicense TypesWhat each license can legally do and the limits of each categoryOwnership, Eligibility & Equity RulesWho qualifies, who must be disclosed, TPI rules, SEE requirementsLocal Zoning & Municipal NoticeWhere you can open, buffer rules, and the required municipal noticeApplication Process (Provisional → Final)Full step-by-step path from application to approval

License Types & What They Allow You to Do

A clear breakdown of every adult-use license in New York — cultivator, processor, distributor, retailer, delivery, microbusiness, cooperative, nursery, on-site consumption (pending), Registered Organization pathways, and conditional licenses — and what each can legally do.

This page answers:

• “Which license matches my business model?”
• “Can I hold more than one license?”

Ownership, Eligibility & Equity Rules

Who can apply, who must be listed, how True Parties of Interest (TPI) work, and how Social & Economic Equity rules determine control and eligibility.

This page answers:

• “Can I apply if I’m justice-involved?”
• “Who needs to be disclosed?”
• “Who can’t invest in my company?”
• “What does majority SEE control actually mean?”

Zoning, Location & Municipal Notice

Where you are legally allowed to open, how buffer zones work (schools, houses of worship, other dispensaries), and how the municipal notice requirement works — including the rule that notice must be sent 30–270 days before applying.

This page answers:

• “Is my location even legal?”
• “Do local zoning codes allow retail?”
• “Do I need to notify the town before I apply?”
• “Can a community board block my site?”

How the Application Process Works (Provisional → Final License)

Every step in the licensing flow — eligibility → municipal notice → application → provisional approval → inspections → final license issuance.

This page answers:

• “What documents do I need to submit?”
• “What triggers a denial?”
• “What happens after I hit submit?”
• “What does a provisional license actually mean?”

Why This Matters

Most operators fail before they ever open, not because their business is bad, but because their:

• ownership structure violated TPI rules,
• site wasn’t legal under zoning or buffer requirements,
• municipal notice wasn’t filed correctly, or
• application was incomplete or timed out.

Understanding these rules helps you avoid:

• Denials for undisclosed owners
• Location rejections and lost deposits
• Municipal notice mistakes that invalidate applications
• Losing SEE priority due to broken control requirements
• Application delays from missing documentation
• Provisional licenses that cannot convert due to zoning, DOB, or FDNY issues

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