Los Angeles Municipal Code § 104.15 Enforcement and Penalties for Unlawful Cannabis Related Activity

(Added by Ord. No. 185,343, Eff. 12/19/17.)

(a) Prohibitions on Unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity and Certain Medical Marijuana Collectives.

1. It is unlawful for a Person to establish, operate, or participate as an Employee, contractor, agent or volunteer, in any unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity in the City.

2. It is unlawful for a Person to establish, operate or participate in a medical marijuana collective or cooperative unless in a dwelling unit with three or fewer qualified patients, persons with identification cards or primary caregivers, or any combination thereof.

3. The prohibitions in Subsections (a)1. and (a)2., include renting, leasing to or otherwise allowing any unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity or a medical marijuana collective or cooperative to occupy or use any building or land.

(b) Starting on January 1, 2018, it is unlawful to:

1. Own or operate an Unlawful Establishment;

2. Participate as an Employee, contractor, agent or volunteer or in any other capacity in an Unlawful Establishment;

3. Use any portion of any parcel of land as an Unlawful Establishment; or

4. Lease, rent to, or otherwise allow an Unlawful Establishment to occupy any portion of parcel of land.

(c) A violation of this section is a public nuisance and may be abated by the City or by the City Attorney, on be- half of the people of the State of California, as a nuisance by means of a restraining order, injunction or any other order or judgment in law or equity issued by a court of competent jurisdiction. The City or the City Attorney, on behalf of the people of the State of California, may seek injunctive relief to enjoin violations of, or to compel compliance with, this section or seek any other relief or remedy available at law or equity. Each day that a violation continues is deemed to be a new and separate offense and subject to a maximum civil penalty of $20,000 for each and every offense.

(d) Any Person violating this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment in the County Jail for a period of not more than six months, or by both a fine and imprisonment. Each day that a violation continues is deemed to be a new and separate offense. A violation of this section by an Employee, contractor, agent or volunteer, who has no financial interest in the Unlawful Establishment, may be punishable by means of a citation issued under the City’s Administrative Citation Enforcement Program. (Amended by Ord. No. 185,850, Eff. 11/28/18.)

(e) The Department of Water of Power (DWP) is authorized to disconnect utilities at a location occupied by an Unlawful Establishment if (i) the Police Department or other City Department provides written confirmation to DWP that commercial cannabis activity is occurring at the location, and (ii) DCR provides written confirmation to DWP that the City has not issued Temporary Approval or a License to engage in commercial cannabis activity at the location. The manner and form of the written confirmation shall be established and agreed to by the referenced departments. (Added by Ord. No. 186,029, Eff. 3/14/19.)

(f) The remedies specified in this section are cumulative and in addition to any other remedies available under state or local law for a violation of this article. (Relettered by Ord. No. 186,029, Eff. 3/14/19.)

(g) Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring the City to allow, permit, license, authorize or otherwise regulate medical or nonmedical Cannabis, or as abridging the City’s police power with respect to enforcement regarding medical or nonmedical Cannabis. (Relettered by Ord. No. 186,029, Eff. 3/14/19.)

(h) A City Department may recover its costs incurred through the abatement of, or enforcement activity against, an Unlawful Establishment as provided under Los Angeles Administrative Code Section 7.35.3 or any other applicable law. (Added by Ord. No. 186,223, Eff. 8/14/19.)

(Added by Ord. No. 186,918, Eff. 3/27/21.)

(a) Public Nuisance. Unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity is a public nuisance.

(b) Installation of Protective Devices. The Department of Building and Safety (LADBS), after notice pursuant to Subsection (c), is authorized to padlock, barricade, and fence (protective devices) any location occupied by an Unlawful Establishment if: (i) the Police Department provides written confirmation to LADBS that Commercial Cannabis Activity is occurring at the location; and (ii) DCR provides written confirmation to LADBS that the City has not issued a Temporary Approval or a License to engage in Commercial Cannabis Activity at the location. If the property owner or authorized occupant requests a hearing pursuant to Subsection (d), LADBS shall not padlock, barricade, or fence the property without the authorization of the hearing officer.

(c) Notice. The notice required in Subsection (b) shall be posted on the property and a copy mailed first class to the owner of the property as shown on the last equalized assessment roll. The notice shall state that the City has information that unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity is occurring on the property and the City may padlock, barricade, and fence the property if, within 10 calendar days of the notice, the activity is not abated or the property owner or authorized occupant fails to request a hearing pursuant to Subsection (d). The notice shall further state that the property owner and authorized occupant shall be jointly and severally responsible to pay the City’s costs for installing, maintaining, and removing the protective devices plus an amount equal to 40 percent of such cost to cover the City’s expense to administer and supervise the required work. The notice shall explain how the property owner and authorized occupant can request a hearing.

(d) Opportunity for Hearing Before Installing Protective Devices. If the property owner or authorized occupant requests a hearing within 10 calendar days of the mailing of the notice in Subsection (c), LADBS shall not padlock, barricade, or fence the property without the authorization of the hearing officer. The hearing shall be set on a date within 30 calendar days of the mailing of the notice in Subsection (c). If the hearing officer determines that unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity is not occurring on the property, then the property shall not be padlocked, barricaded, and fenced. If the hearing officer determines that unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity is occurring on the property, then the hearing officer may authorize LADBS to padlock, barricade, and fence the property. The hearing officer may consider whether unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity was occurring on the property before the hearing date and the benefit of authorizing the protective devices to curb such future activity.

(e) Opportunity for Hearing to Remove Protective Devices. The property owner or authorized occupant may request a hearing to remove the protective devices. The protective devices may be removed at the

direction of a hearing officer who holds a hearing and determines that unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity is not occurring on the property. The hearing shall be set on a date no more than 15 calendar days after the date of the request by the property owner or authorized occupant. If the hearing officer determines that unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity is not occurring on the property at the time of the hearing and the property owner and occupant demonstrate to the hearing officer that they have taken reasonable measures to prevent the occurrence of unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity on the property, then the hearing officer shall order the removal of the padlock, barricade, and fence. If the hearing officer determines that unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity was not occurring on the property at the time of the notice in Subsection (c), then the property owner and authorized occupant shall not be responsible to pay the City’s costs for installing, maintaining, and removing the protective devices.

(f) Hearing Process. Hearings afforded under Subsections (d) and (e) are the property owner’s and authorized occupant’s exclusive means for administrative review of the City’s actions. Requests for hearings must be made by the property owner or authorized occupant in writing on a form approved by the City. At the hearing, the City, property owner, and authorized occupant may present any evidence or testimony relevant to whether

unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity is occurring on the property and evidence and testimony relevant to the reasonable measures taken by the property owner and/or authorized occupant to prevent the occurrence of unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity. The City, property owner, and authorized occupant may cross examine witnesses. If the property owner or authorized occupant fail to appear at the hearing, then the hearing may proceed in their absence. For good cause only, the hearing officer, at the request of the property owner or authorized occupant, may continue the hearing for up to 10 calendar days. The decision of the hearing officer shall be based on the preponderance of the evidence and testimony provided at the hearing. The decision shall be rendered within five business days of the hearing and include a statement of the factual and legal basis of the decision. A copy of the hearing officer’s decision shall be posted on the property and mailed to the property owner and the authorized occupant at the address of the property location, and provided to LADBS and DCR. The decision by the hearing officer is the exclusive means of review and shall be final and not administratively appealable.

(g) Possession and Responsibility to Maintain Property. In exercising the powers authorized in this section, the City takes no legal possessory interest in the property or anything contained on the property. The property owner or authorized occupant, as applicable, shall remain responsible to maintain the property in a safe and sanitary condition and in good repair.

(h) Personal Property. It shall be the responsibility of the property owner or authorized occupant to remove or secure any personal property or other possessions on the property.

(i) Limited Access of Areas Secured by Protective Devices. During the time LADBS has padlocked, barricaded, or fenced the property under this section, no person shall access any portion of the area secured by the protective devices, except that the property owner, including the agent of the property owner, or authorized occupant may access the property pursuant to Subsections (g) and (h). Any person who violates this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. This subsection shall not apply to law enforcement personnel, public officers, or public employees acting within the course and scope of their employment or in the performance of their official duties.

(j) Recordation. A copy of the notice described in Subsection (c) shall be recorded with the Office of the County Recorder. After the City has determined that unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Activity is not occurring on the property, the City shall file with the Office of the County Recorder a certificate terminating the above recorded status of the property.

(k) Reimbursement of City Costs. The property owner and authorized occupant shall be jointly and severally responsible to reimburse the City’s costs for installing, maintaining, and removing the protective devices plus an amount equal to 40 percent of such cost to cover the cost of administering and supervising the required work. The City may pursue collection of any costs imposed under this section as provided in Los Angeles Administrative Code Sections 7.35.1 through 7.35.10, or through any legal remedy before any court of competent jurisdiction.