California has 1,822 licensed cannabis dispensaries as of November 2026, operating across 315 cities. The count comes straight from the California Department of Cannabis Control license database and refreshes weekly.
By Program
California issues Type 10 (Retailer) and Type 9 (Non-Storefront Retailer / Delivery) licenses through the DCC. Active licenses are renewed annually and can be verified directly on the DCC public license search.
Compared
California has the most licensed dispensaries of the 10 states we track.
Top Cities
Methodology
The figure is sourced from the California Department of Cannabis Control (CA DCC) public license database. We re-crawl it weekly, deduplicate licensees, and exclude closed or revoked licenses — so the number reflects dispensaries actually operating, not licenses ever issued. Free to cite with attribution to Holden Leads.
Verify any individual license with the free California cannabis license lookup, see national figures on the cannabis dispensary statistics page, or get contact data for every one of these dispensaries via California dispensary leads.
FAQ
California has 1,822 licensed cannabis dispensaries as of November 2026, spread across 315 cities. The count is verified against the California Department of Cannabis Control (CA DCC) license database and refreshed weekly.
Of the California dispensaries with a known program type, 126 are adult-use, 65 are medical, and 1,631 serve both programs.
Los Angeles leads California with 160 licensed dispensaries, followed by Los Angeles County with 116.
The count comes directly from the California Department of Cannabis Control (CA DCC) public license database. We re-crawl it weekly, deduplicate licensees, and drop closed or revoked licenses, so the figure reflects dispensaries actually operating — not just licenses ever issued.
Get Started
Browse all California dispensary records free. Upgrade for full contact data — phone, email, social handles, owner contacts, and license details.