Cannabis security camera requirements by state
What each state's cannabis regulator requires of video surveillance at licensed grow, processing and retail sites: how long recordings must be kept, the resolution and frame rate, the areas that must be covered, and who may pull the footage. Read from the rule text, with the citation on every line.
Find your state
- AlabamaMedicalKeep 60 days
- AlaskaAdult-useKeep 40 days
- ArizonaAdult-use and medicalKeep 30 days · 704x480 min
- ArkansasMedicalKeep 90 days
- CaliforniaAdult-use and medicalKeep 90 days · 1280x720 min
- ColoradoAdult-use and medicalKeep 30 days
- ConnecticutAdult-use and medicalKeep 30 days
- DelawareAdult-use and medicalKeep 90 days · 720p min
- District of ColumbiaMedicalKeep 30 days
- FloridaMedicalKeep 45 days
- GeorgiaLow-THC medicalKeep 45 days · 2560x1440 min
- HawaiiMedicalKeep 50 days
- IllinoisAdult-use and medicalKeep 90 days
- IowaMedicalKeep 60 days
- KentuckyMedicalKeep 60 days
- LouisianaMedicalKeep 30 days
- MaineAdult-use and medicalKeep 14 days · 720p min
- MarylandAdult-use and medicalKeep 90 days
- MassachusettsAdult-use and medicalKeep 90 days
- MichiganAdult-use and medicalKeep 30 days · 720p min
- MinnesotaAdult-use and medicalKeep 90 days · 720p min
- MississippiMedicalKeep 120 days · 1080p min
- MissouriAdult-use and medicalKeep 60 days · 1920x1080 min
- MontanaAdult-use and medicalKeep 60 days · 640x470 min
- NebraskaMedicalKeep 120 days
- NevadaAdult-use and medicalKeep 30 days · 1920x1080 min
- New HampshireMedicalKeep 90 days
- New JerseyAdult-use and medicalKeep 30 days
- New MexicoAdult-use and medicalKeep 30 days · 1280x720 min
- New YorkAdult-use and medicalKeep 60 days
- North DakotaMedicalKeep 60 days
- OhioAdult-use and medicalKeep 45 days
- OklahomaMedicalLicensed program, no camera rule published
- OregonAdult-use and medicalKeep 90 days · 1280x720 min
- PennsylvaniaMedicalKeep 180 days
- Rhode IslandAdult-use and medicalKeep 60 days
- South DakotaMedicalKeep 90 days
- TexasLow-THC medicalKeep 90 days · 720x350 min
- UtahMedicalKeep 45 days · 640x470 min
- VermontAdult-use and medicalKeep 30 days · 720p min
- VirginiaMedicalKeep 30 days
- WashingtonAdult-use and medicalKeep 45 days · 640x470 min
- West VirginiaMedicalKeep 180 days
No state matches. Check the spelling, or see the list of states without a program below.
No licensed cannabis program yet: Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Wyoming. These states have no facility surveillance rule to meet; we will add a page when one opens.
What the rules have in common
Retention is the number that sizes the system
Across the 42 states with a published camera rule, recordings must be kept from 14 to 180 days, and several add a longer hold for footage tied to an incident or investigation. Every extra day of retention is recorder storage you have to buy, so this figure comes first.
Most states want continuous recording
38 of the 42 rules say cameras record 24 hours a day; a few allow motion-triggered recording in some areas. Limited-access areas, every entrance and exit, points of sale and the vault or safe appear on almost every coverage list.
Resolution is often a description, not a number
17 states print a pixel minimum; the rest say the picture must be clear enough to identify a person and read a license plate. Either way, a modern 4 MP or 8 MP camera clears the bar, and the low-light wording usually matters more than the megapixels.
The regulator gets access, and outages get reported
Most rules give the regulator on-request or real-time access to recordings, require a synchronised date and time stamp, and want backup power or a notice when the system fails. Plan the recorder room, the UPS and the export procedure at the same time as the cameras.
Plan a system that meets your rule
- 1Read your state's requirementRetention, coverage, resolution and the citation, on one page.
- 2Size the storage for the retention periodEnter cameras, resolution and days; the calculator names recorders that hold it.
- 3Get a written quote built against the ruleCamera layout, recorder, storage and backup power, with the rule it was designed for.
The Cannabis Security Camera Compliance Guide
A free PDF with everything on this site and more: what each requirement means in practice, how to lay out cameras for every area a rule names, how to size recorder storage for your retention period, backup power and export procedures, an inspection-readiness checklist, and the state-by-state reference.
Download the guideGet a quote for a system that meets your state's rule
Tell us the state, the license type and roughly how many doors, rooms and registers you need to cover. We size the recorder storage to the retention period, pick cameras that satisfy the resolution and low-light wording, and send a written quote that names the rule it was built against.
- Storage sized to the retention period, not a guess
- Camera layout for every area the rule lists
- Free lifetime technical support on what we sell
Prefer to talk? Our cannabis compliance line is 800-901-2091, weekdays. We have specified camera systems for licensed cannabis businesses since 2012.
Further reading
- The complete cannabis security guidePhysical security, access control, cameras and compliance in one long read.Article
- Cannabis security regulations guideHow the state rules are structured and what inspectors look for.Article
- Securing a cultivation facilityGrow rooms, perimeter, lighting and the camera layout that covers them.Article
- Medical marijuana securityWhat medical-only programs ask of dispensaries and treatment centers.Article
How this page is kept current
Each state's entry is read from the regulator's own rule text or statute, never from a summary, and the section number links to the source. Two independent reviews checked every figure against its citation on Sep 30, 2026. When a rule is being amended, the state page says so. If you find a change we have missed, tell us and we will correct it.