Metrc in California: what a dispensary has to report, reconcile and keep — the operations view

Operations, not law. Tasks and clocks with the rule cited; [verify] marks items pending our counsel's review of the current text.

Who and what

• Regulator: Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). Track-and-trace: Metrc. Licenses: retailer (storefront), retailer non-storefront (delivery), microbusiness.
• Taxes: 15% cannabis excise on retail, collected and remitted by the retailer to CDTFA; plus state and local sales tax. Out-the-door = shelf × 1.15 × (1 + local rate). No wholesale invoice carries an excise line.

Receiving

• Accept transfers in Metrc per package; record accepted quantity; invoice quantity = accepted quantity or credit memo.
• Mismatched tag on an invoice: hold the line, request a corrected invoice.

Sales reporting

• Sales reported to Metrc within the DCC's window (24 hours is the figure operators work to; confirm against the current §15048/§15049 text [verify]); BudAlly's daily match runs on that clock.
• Medical patient sales flagged (excise/sales-tax treatment differs for MMIC holders [verify specifics]); kept separate in the books since April 2026.

Reconciliation and records

• Inventory reconciliation at least once every 30 days (4 CCR §15051), covering all packages; discrepancies investigated and, where required, reported.
• Variance tolerance: operators cite 3% of monthly sales as the enforcement threshold; treat as a limit, not a target, and confirm the current text [verify].
• Theft, loss or diversion and significant discrepancies: notification to DCC within the rule's window [verify days].
• Retention: records per DCC rule [verify period]; BudAlly keeps reconciliation reports and adjustment logs for seven years.

Delivery

• Delivery ledger / record-keeping and track-and-trace requirements for deliveries per the DCC compliance hub; vehicle inventory limits; driver and vehicle records; per-delivery manifest in Metrc [verify current limits].

Marketing and promotions (rules that touch Metrc data)

• No "free" cannabis wording; health-claim restrictions; Notice of Financial Incentive for loyalty programs that trade data for incentives (CCPA regs).
• Vendor-funded discount reimbursement: our pack holds this as UNKNOWN (RI-CA-07) pending counsel; no vendor-credit report is generated for California until decided.

The pack

Rules in CA v14 referenced by this page: RI-ALL-05 (OTD math), SF-ALL-04 (claims), LY-CA notice, RI-CA-07 (UNKNOWN). See the states hub and the changelog.