Senate Bill 1409 was approved by the Governor on September 30, 2018 and took into effect on January 1, 2019. Beginning April 30, 2019, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is publishing applications for registration for commercial hemp cultivation and hemp seed breeders.

All growers of industrial hemp for commercial purposes must register with the county agricultural commissioner prior to cultivation.

The annual registration fee is $900 and in accordance with California Food and Agricultural Code (FAC) Section 81005(c), a county board of supervisors may also establish a fee to cover the actual costs of the commissioner and the county of implementing, administering, and enforcing the provisions of FAC Division 24.

California Food and Agricultural Code (FAC) Section 81006(d) specifies THC content and crop destruction requirements.

In December 2021, the USDA formally approved California’s State Plan for industrial hemp in accordance with the USDA’s Final Rule, effective on January 1, 2022.

In 2019, 479 farmers were licensed to grow thousands of acres of industrial hemp in California, including 7,000 acres in Kern County and 4,000 acres in Ventura County.

In 2022, there were about 246 (267 in 2021) licensed hemp growers’ and seed breeders’ sites in the state, registered to grow 4,515 acres (6,153 in 2021).

In 2023, 79 growers and breeders were licensed to grow 3,588 acres of land on 163 registered sites.

California Hemp Industry Infographics

California Cannabis Market