Cannabis is big business. It’s estimated to bring in over $107 million in tax revenue to the state of Minnesota by 2027, and over $400 million in revenue. Being new to the state, there are a lot of potential business owners that want in. However, as of January 2026, the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management has only issued 116 licenses out of 3,500-plus applications received.
If you have a cannabis business license, it’s important to know and understand the regulations to ensure you keep that license; and if you’re still hoping to be awarded a license, it’s important to understand the regulations and prepare your business for potential audits.
Minn. Stat. § 9810.1500.2 states that a cannabis business must provide security at the cannabis business premises, and requires business owners to have:
- An alarm system
- Video surveillance
- Lighting
- Locks
- An immediate response protocol that must be initiated within 30 minutes after a security event occurs
As detailed above, cannabis businesses must have video surveillance in place to meet regulations. But what kind of cannabis security cameras are best for your business? How do you choose one that does what you need and meets requirements?
At Wellington Security Systems, we have years of experience working in highly regulated industries, as well as Minnesota’s cannabis industry. We can help ensure your system passes inspection every time.
Cannabis Security Cameras: Requirements and Regulations
Regulators view video surveillance as a critical piece of cannabis facility security for several reasons.
- Seed-to-sale tracking verification. Video footage from cannabis security cameras provides visual confirmation of inventory movements documented in your track-and-trace system. When regulators audit your records, they may request footage to verify that reported activities actually occurred.
- Diversion prevention. Cameras deter and document internal theft and product diversion—a primary concern for regulators charged with keeping cannabis out of the illicit market.
- Incident investigation. When something goes wrong and you have to deal with something like theft, contamination, or compliance violations, video footage can provide the visual evidence investigators need.
- Continuous documentation. Unlike other security measures that activate only during events, video surveillance runs constantly, creating a continuous record of facility operations.
- Remote audit capability. Some jurisdictions require the ability to provide regulators with remote access to live or recorded footage, enabling oversight without physical facility visits.
Because video serves these critical functions, regulations specify not only that you must have cannabis security cameras, but exactly what those cameras must capture, how clearly they must capture it, and how long you must retain the footage.
Video surveillance requirements
The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management set requirements that your video surveillance system must meet.
- A cannabis business must maintain video surveillance of all premises associated with the business’s license. A cannabis business must ensure that video surveillance is active during the entirety of any temporary cannabis event.
- Video surveillance must be active 24 hours per day, seven days per week, on the premises of a cannabis business.
- Video surveillance must consist of video cameras that are:
- placed in locations that allow the cameras to clearly record activity occurring within a radius of at least 20 feet from all points of entry and exit;
- affixed to the exterior and interior of the cannabis business’s premises to identify individuals entering and exiting the premises, limited-access areas, and restricted-access areas; and
- at temporary cannabis events, mounted in a manner to record activity occurring in the area accessible to the public, including any designated retail areas, and points of entry and exit
According to the regulations, your business needs video cameras anywhere cannabis is cultivated, manufactured, stored, packaged/labeled, prepared for transfer, displayed, collected for testing, and designated as waste and destroyed.
Anywhere you’re working with cannabis or there’s a potential for someone to handle cannabis, you’ll need to have 24/7 video surveillance.
Video Requirements
Minnesota’s cannabis industry is highly regulated primarily to promote public health and safety, eliminate the illicit market while protecting consumers. To do this, quality video footage is a requirement, not just a nice to have.
Regulators set standards for the quality of the video your cannabis security cameras produce, your system will need to meet every requirement to obtain a license or pass inspections and audits.
These regulations state you must store any video files from your surveillance system in a secure place for at least 90 days, and the files need to be a in a standard format that can be played back without any special equipment upon request.
Any cannabis security cameras must be capable of producing a 24-hour recording at a minimum of 15 frames per second and have a minimum resolution of 720p. Video must also have date-and-time stamps on all recordings; and the system must be able to continue recording for an additional eight hours during a power outage.
How We Can Help
We understand the cannabis industry, and we know security. We know how just the presence of cannabis security cameras can help deter crime, and that proper placement is everything. We ensure everything works together from the locations of the cameras relative to lighting, to how your video cameras connect with your other security systems.
We custom design security solutions that work for you, your business and the regulators. For your free cannabis business security audit, contact us today.