Throughout 2025 and into 2026, the City implemented changes in practice including expanding knowledge and experience, enacting proactive enforcement strategies, adding new odor control measures and licensing requirements, and improving its own internal communication network. These changes in detail include:

Expanding cannabis knowledge - Officers and staff attend trainings and educational seminars regarding cannabis business operations, cultivation, odor control measures, and emerging industry practices.

Taking a proactive stance on compliance - The Code Compliance Division conducts routine, responsive, and random odor patrol checks. Officers conduct regulatory inspections of businesses both during their renewal process and when odors are detected in nearby areas. The police department also provides patrols for after-hours cannabis enforcement, ensuring businesses are still operating properly when City Hall is closed.

Improvements to inspection practices and enforcement - Additions have been made to Code Compliance inspection forms to improve inspection processes, ensure business owners are committed to regulation adherence, and to support new additions to the municipal code. 

Promoting stricter adherence to city regulations and odor control - Additions have been made to the permitting and licensing process, the most prominent of these being the requirement of odor control plans for cultivation businesses.

Creating stricter timeframes for renewals and licensing - Taking steps to ensure that the necessary aspects of a license renewal that are completed by separate city departments such as inspections, tax review, and odor control plan submittals are completed in a more reasonable timeframe and with full departmental communication throughout the process.

Improving interdepartmental communication and coordination - All departments involved meet monthly and work in coordination, advising on completed goals or new challenges. Code Compliance also conducts field inspections jointly alongside other departments to build off differing experience and knowledge.

Odor control plans are intended to be prepared and designed as performance-based systems for each cannabis business such that cannabis odors are not detected off site. The odor control plan must specifically identify any administrative controls, engineering controls, process parameters, maintenance requirements, and training necessary to control cannabis odor together with detailed information and specifications on odor control equipment incorporated within the plan.

The City of Cathedral City is asking the community for feedback on cannabis odors:

Report Cannabis Odor

• April-December 2024 – The City began receiving a high number of cannabis odor complaints.
• January 22, 2025 – The City Council adopted Ordinance 884, which enacted a forty-five (45) day interim moratorium on the approval or issuance of new licenses, permits, approvals, or other entitlements for grading, building, improvements, and/or use to cannabis businesses.
• February 26, 2025 – The City Council adopted Ordinance 886, which extended the moratorium for an additional period of ten (10) months and fifteen (15) days.
• February-August 2025 – The City evaluated Cannabis Regulations amendments related to zoning, locational requirements, standards, and enforcement provisions (fines and penalties).
• August 2025 – The Cannabis Task Force reviewed and discussed a draft ordinance amending the Cannabis Regulations. Subsequently, the Planning Commission conducted a noticed public hearing on those amendments to Chapter 9.108 of the municipal code.

• October 22, 2025 – Ordinance 892 was adopted. This ordinance:

  • Repealed Urgency Ordinance 886.

  • Amended Chapters 3.48, 5.88, 9.108, and 13.240 and Section 9.30.030 of the Cathedral City Municipal Code to update:

    • Cannabis Tax
      • Requires local cannabis taxes be made current prior to the renewal of a local license.
      • Allow tax payment agreements.
    • Cannabis Licensing and Zoning Regulations
      • Addition of odor control plan as a condition of approval for a cannabis conditional use permit. This requirement applies retroactively to existing cannabis businesses through the annual renewal of a cannabis license.
      • The deletion of cannabis cultivation as a conditional use within the Planned Community Commercial (PCC) Zoning District.
      • The addition of a 300-foot setback from any cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution site to a property zoned Resort Residential (RR).
      • Addition of an operational requirement prior to the renewal of a dispensary license.

    • Cannabis Enforcement Provisions

      • Establishes a process for the enforcement of cannabis odors.
      • Establishes a default fine for administrative fines and to authorize the City Council to establish different fines by resolution.