What are the steps necessary to open a provisioning center?
Obtain special exception use approval for the site from the City Planning Commission
Obtain a Zoning Compliance Permit once you have an approved SEU
Apply to the Building Department for either a Building Permit or a Certificate of Occupancy. Building Permits are for if work needs to be done. Certificates of Occupancy are for if no work is proposed. Either application will include an inspection. Any CO issued will be contingent on receiving a City of Ann Arbor Medical Marijuana Facility Permit.
Apply to the City Clerk for a City of Ann Arbor Medical Marijuana Facility Permit. Attestation I will be signed after the application is reviewed by the Clerk. Permits issued will be contingent on receiving a State Marihuana Facility License.
Apply to the State for a Marihuana Facility License. (Note: Steps 4 and 5 may be done at the same time.)
Provide the City Clerk's office with a copy of the approved State Marihuana Facility License. At this point the provisioning center can legally open.
How do I obtain special exception use approval?
Read the
Special Exception Use Checklist (PDF).
When you have all of your required information, meet with a City Planner for a pre-submittal meeting. Bring everything listed in the SEU Checklist, and the completed Checklist. The planner will go through your application and attachments with you. The planner will let you know if there are any problems that must be corrected before you apply.
Apply for a Special Exception Use and pay the SEU fee.
Send out postcards to owners and occupants within 500 feet per the Citizen Participation Ordinance. Staff will provide a postcard template and digital list of addresses. The postcard must go out within five days of acceptance of application.
Planning Staff will route the petition to all required city departments for review. Staff will post comments and the petition may need to be revised by the applicant. Once all city staff have approved the petition, it will be scheduled for City Planning Commission.
City Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and approve or deny the petition. The decision will be based on Special Exception Use standards (see the SEU application). CPC may require improvements or changes to the site to make it conform to SEU standards.
Can I apply for a special exception use online?
No. You must apply in person at the City of Ann Arbor Permit Desk on the first floor of City Hall.
Do I need permission from the property owner to apply for a SEU?
If you are not the owner of the property on the day the SEU petition is submitted, you must include written permission from the owner with the petition.
Will the information that I submit in my SEU petition be public?
Yes. Everything submitted to City Planning is public and viewable on the City's permit tracking system (www.a2gov.org/permits). If you don't want the public to see it, don't submit it.
How do you measure the 600 feet between provisioning centers?
The measurement is from parcel to parcel between their closest points.
What if my site is within another provisioning center's 600 foot buffer?
While a provisioning center's petition is under review, additional petitions will be accepted for parcels touching or within that 600 foot radius. They will not be reviewed unless the City Planning Commission denies the SEU petition for the original petitioner that set the radius.
When does the 600 foot buffer go into effect?
When Planning accepts a complete SEU application for review, we will establish the buffer and post it on
www.a2gov.org/mj on the provisioning center map. If a second complete petition is subsequently submitted inside that buffer, we will accept but not review it. The second one will go on hold until a decision is made on the original application. If the original application is denied for SEU, its buffer will be eliminated, and the second petition will immediately begin the review process with its new 600 foot buffer. If the original petition is approved for SEU, we will reject the second petition.
