Social Equity Verification and Licensing Timeline
OCM is moving forward with a new cycle of social equity verification, cannabis business licensing, and lottery.
The process will start with the verification of applicants who meet qualifications for social equity applicant status. Following that, those verified as a social equity applicant can submit an application for a business license, go through a review and vetting process, and if qualified, be entered into a lottery.
Important information for applicants who received a denial letter
The 1,172 applicants who received denials during the license preapproval cycle will have an opportunity to correct their applications via requests for more information (RFMI). OCM expects to send these requests to applicants in February 2025. The RFMIs will include more detail than you received in the previous denial notification. Applicants who successfully correct their application to address every denial reason listed would then qualify for the social equity license lottery.
Important information for qualified applicants
Below is a table showing a breakdown (by license type) of the 648 qualified applicants who are automatically moving forward to the standard licensing cycle. Note that there are only four license types that are capped in standard licensing, compared to nine capped license types during the now-ended license preapproval process. Qualified applicants in non-capped license types could receive licenses as soon as rules are approved next year, which we expect to happen before the May-June lottery date. This means the 194 qualified microbusinesses could conceivably begin cultivating and starting businesses operations before summer. Similarly, the qualified applicants in the other non-capped license types (wholesaler, transporter, testing facility, and delivery service) could have licenses as soon as rules are adopted, which again, we expect to be before the May-June lottery date.
License Type
|
Applications Reviewed
|
Applications Denied
|
Qualified Applications
|
---|---|---|---|
Microbusiness
|
586
|
392
|
194
|
Mezzobusiness*
|
373
|
229
|
144
|
Cultivator*
|
58
|
27
|
31
|
Manufacturer*
|
45
|
26
|
19
|
Retailer*
|
579
|
337
|
242
|
Wholesaler
|
9
|
5
|
4
|
Transporter
|
11
|
8
|
3
|
Testing Facility
|
5
|
2
|
3
|
Delivery Service
|
154
|
146
|
8
|
Total
|
1,820
|
1,172
|
648 |
*Indicates license type is capped and subject to a lottery in standard licensing cycle.
Step 1: Verify social equity applicant eligibility
Verification is the process where OCM confirms an applicant's social equity eligibility. This service is free. The most recent verification window closed Jan. 30.
If you are an applicant who received social equity verification in the first cycle, your status remains current. You are not required to provide further documentation to verify your status at this time. Anyone who didn’t get verified for social equity status in the first cycle can go through verification when that window opens.
Applicants can view guidance and instruction around social equity verification on our Social Equity Verification Process webpage.
Note: Social equity licenses must be owned at least 65% by social equity applicants, which can include one or more people. Each person who makes up the 65% ownership must be verified in order to proceed to applying for a business license. For more information, go to Minnesota Statutes, section 342.185.


Step 2: Apply for cannabis business license
This step includes submitting an application on OCM's online application system, along with all the required worksheets and the application fee payment for the license being sought. The current licensing application opens Feb. 18 and closes March 14.
Applicants must meet the necessary criteria to be eligible for the lottery for available cannabis business licenses. OCM has links to instructions, required worksheets, and other informational materials on this website on the General Licensing webpage.
Applicants who successfully complete and submit an application may be given an opportunity to fix mistakes or errors through a request for more information process. Applicants will have 14 calendar days to respond. OCM will provide instructions on how to complete this process; however, it is the applicant’s responsibility to submit a complete, accurate, and timely application.


Step 3: Cannabis business license lottery
OCM will conduct lotteries for both social equity and general license applicants for four license types with caps. Following the completion of the lotteries, OCM will notify each applicant whether or not they were selected to move forward. The date for the lotteries will be announced.