Follow these steps to obtain a marijuana growers’ license in Colorado.
Step 1: Research
Before anything, educate yourself on the latest marijuana laws and business regulations at the Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) website. You are also strongly advised to consult with an experienced attorney on your options and obligations as a commercial marijuana grower.
Step 2: Make sure you have the funds
Colorado’s application fee for a retail marijuana cultivation facility license is $5,000. For a medical marijuana cultivation facility license, the application fee is $1,000. In addition, there is a $1,830 license fee.
That is just for the first year. For every year you continue to cultivate, there are pricey renewal costs. The more plants you grow, the higher the license application fee.
So in addition to meeting with an attorney, you are also advised to talk with an accountant and business consultant about what you can realistically expect to earn by growing marijuana.
Step 3: Submit the application
You can fill out the grower’s license application online and submit it through the MED website. Alternatively, you can download the application and mail it to:
Marijuana Enforcement Division
1697 Cole Blvd., Suite 200
Lakewood, CO 80401
ATTN: Business Licensing
Note that if you submit the grower’s license application online, you can pay by:
- check
- money order
- credit card
Though if you mail in your application, you must pay by check or money order – not by credit card.
It may take several weeks for your application to be processed.1
You do not need a license to grow fewer than six marijuana plants at home.
Can I grow marijuana at home without a license?
If you are an adult 21 or older, you do not need a license to grow recreational marijuana for yourself at home as long as:
- You have no more than six plants; and
- No more than three of them are mature (flowering).
No Colorado residence may have more than 12 marijuana plants for recreational use at a time. So whether you have one roommate or many, collectively you cannot grow more than 12 marijuana plants at a time.
(If you have a medical marijuana card, you (and your caregiver) may be able to possess up to 24 plants in your home as long as there are no local or county ordinances that say otherwise. Contact the Medical Marijuana Registry with questions at 303-692-2184.)
The penalties for growing more than the maximum allowable marijuana plants depend on the case:
| Illegal Marijuana Cultivation | Colorado penalties |
| First offense (13 plants or more) |
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| Second offense (13 to 24 plants) |
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| Second offense (more than 24 plants) |
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See our related articles on Colorado growing marijuana laws and Colorado cultivation license – how do I get one?
Legal References
- Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED), Colorado Department of Revenue, Specialized Business Group.
- CRS 18-18-406. CRS 25-1.5-106. Colorado Constitution (Art. 18, sec 14). See, for example, People v. Cox (Court of Appeals of Colorado, Division One, 2021) 2021 COA 68; People v. Garcia-Gonzalez (Court of Appeals of Colorado, Division Two, 2020) 2020 COA 166.
