Security isn't a box you check at the end — it's reviewed in your application and locked into your Final Plan of Record. Here is what Minnesota Rule 9810.1500 requires, why it exists, and how to design a compliant, vendor-agnostic security plan that gets built right the first time.
Written and reviewed by PJ Calkins & Chris Ward, Minnesota Green Guides
Last updated: June 2026
The short answer. Minnesota's cannabis security standards live in Minnesota Rules chapter 9810 — the OCM rules adopted in April 2025 — with part 9810.1500 covering security. The core elements are 24/7 video surveillance, controlled access to limited-access areas, alarm systems, and secure storage of cannabis and currency, all kept in good working order. OCM reviews security in your application and again in your Final Plan of Record.
Confirm the current rule text at the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes (Rule 9810.1500) before designing your system. Non-OCM security build costs are estimates and vary by facility.
Minnesota's cannabis rules — Minnesota Rules chapter 9810, adopted by OCM in April 2025 — set the operational standards for licensed businesses. Part 9810.1500 is the security section. While you should always work from the current rule text, the requirements center on a familiar set of building blocks every compliant facility needs:
Continuous, around-the-clock video coverage of the facility. Surveillance is the backbone of the program — it documents who is in the space and what happens to product at every stage.
Limited-access areas must be restricted to authorized personnel through access-control measures. Not everyone who enters the building should reach the areas where cannabis is grown, processed, or stored.
Intrusion alarm systems protect the facility outside operating hours and provide notification when a breach occurs, complementing the surveillance and access-control layers.
Cannabis and currency must be kept in secure storage. Both product and cash are high-value targets, and the rule treats their protection as a core security obligation.
Beyond installing these systems, the rule expects them to be maintained on an ongoing basis. A camera that has been offline for weeks, an alarm that nobody monitors, or an access door propped open undermines compliance just as surely as never installing the equipment in the first place. Security is a living program, not a one-time purchase.
The security rule exists to address the realities of a cash-and-product business operating under a regulated framework. Cannabis facilities hold high-value inventory and often significant amounts of currency, which makes them targets. Surveillance, access control, alarms, and secure storage work together to deter theft and diversion, create an audit trail, and protect staff and the surrounding community.
For OCM, a strong security program is also evidence that an applicant can operate responsibly. That is why security is not reviewed in isolation — it is part of how the state evaluates whether to trust you with a license at all.
Security shows up at two key checkpoints, and treating it as an afterthought at either one is a costly, avoidable mistake:
Because security is reviewed at both stages, it belongs in your facility design from day one — not bolted on after the walls are up. For more on that final checkpoint, see our companion guide on the Minnesota Cannabis Final Plan of Record.
Here is the honest answer: it depends, and any number you see is an estimate. Security build costs are non-OCM costs — they are not a state fee, but a real-world expense driven entirely by your facility. The total scales with:
Because these variables differ so much from one facility to the next, we don't publish a one-size-fits-all price. Plan security as a dedicated line item in your build-out budget and price it against the current rule requirements for your specific space.
We design compliant, vendor-agnostic security plans that map Rule 9810.1500 to your actual facility. We don't sell cameras, alarms, or installation — which means our recommendations are based on what your facility needs to satisfy the rule, not on moving hardware. Our team has helped secure Minnesota's second cultivation license, has one client licensed and operating today, and has several more in pre-approval. We won't promise approval — no honest consultant can — but we will help you build a security program that holds up at application and at the Final Plan of Record.
We build security into the facility from the start — surveillance, access control, and secure storage designed alongside the grow, not bolted on later.
Cultivation DesignSecurity doesn't end at install. We help you maintain the systems and the records that keep you compliant once you are operating.
Compliance & OperationsSee how your security systems factor into the Final Plan of Record, the document that reflects your facility as designed and built.
Final Plan of Record GuideHave a specific question about securing your facility or pricing a system? Reach out and we will give you a straight answer.
Contact UsMinnesota's cannabis security standards are set in Minnesota Rules chapter 9810, the OCM rules adopted in April 2025. Part 9810.1500 covers security and addresses elements such as 24/7 video surveillance, restricted or controlled access to limited-access areas, alarm systems, secure storage of cannabis and currency, and ongoing maintenance of those systems. Confirm the current rule text and any updates at the Office of Cannabis Management.
Yes. Minnesota Rule 9810.1500 includes a requirement for continuous, 24/7 video surveillance as part of a cannabis facility's security program. Surveillance works alongside controlled access to limited-access areas, alarm systems, and secure storage. The specific camera coverage, recording retention, and equipment details should follow the current rule text, so confirm the latest requirements with OCM before designing your system.
Security is reviewed as part of the application and again as part of the Final Plan of Record. Your application includes the security approach for your facility, and the Final Plan of Record reflects the security systems as actually designed and built. Treating security as an afterthought is a common and avoidable mistake; it should be planned alongside the facility from the start.
Security build costs are estimates that vary substantially by facility type, size, and layout. These are non-OCM costs, meaning they are not a state fee but a real-world expense driven by the number of cameras, access-control points, alarm coverage, and storage required for your specific space. A small retail footprint will cost far less to secure than a large cultivation facility. Plan security as a line item in your build-out budget and price it against the current rule requirements.
No. We design compliant, vendor-agnostic security plans that map to Minnesota Rule 9810.1500 and your facility. Because we are not tied to any equipment brand or installer, our recommendations are based on what your facility actually needs to satisfy the rule, not on selling you hardware. You remain free to source equipment and installation from the vendors you choose.
Real Minnesota operators — not out-of-state consultants.
PJ Calkins is the CEO and co-founder of Minnesota Green Guides. With more than 30 years in small business, entrepreneurship, and consulting, PJ has been part of Minnesota's legal cannabis industry since the start. He spent three years living in Colorado during its transition from medical to adult-use cannabis — firsthand experience watching a brand-new cannabis market take shape. PJ has personally guided several dozen Minnesota entrepreneurs through the licensing process, including the team behind the second cultivation license issued in Minnesota.
Chris Ward is the COO and co-founder of Minnesota Green Guides, and serves as Chief Cultivation Officer at Fairwater Farms. With 35 years of construction, facility build-out, and commercial growing experience, Chris leads the cultivation-design and operational build-out side of the practice — turning OCM requirements into real, buildable, compliant facilities that growers can actually operate.
Get a compliant, vendor-agnostic security plan built around your facility and Rule 9810.1500 — from operators who have done it for real Minnesota build-outs.
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