A storefront full of stock, cash and customers.
Coverage for licensed storefront cannabis retailers: liability for customers and the products you sell, the build-out and inventory, cash and crime, and the staff behind the counter.
By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed November 2026 · How this page is researched
The store is regulated to the door lock
A Type 10 storefront retailer sells to walk-in customers and may also deliver. State rules already shape the risk underwriters see: a monitored alarm installed by a licensed alarm company, commercial-grade locks on every entry, cameras on the sales floor and every point of sale, and security staff on site whenever the store is open.
I build the dispensary program around the premises: liability for the public and for products you sell, property for the tenant improvements, fixtures and stock, crime for cash on hand, and workers' comp for budtenders and guards. Most of it is written by specialty and surplus lines markets because many standard insurers exclude cannabis.
- General and product liabilityCustomer injuries and claims tied to goods sold over the counter.
- Property and inventoryBuild-out, display cases, safes and stock on the shelves.
- Crime and moneyCash in the vault and employee theft, where a market offers it.
- Workers' compBudtenders, managers and security, required once you have employees.
What underwriters will ask
Having these ready means I can go to market on the first call. The quote form asks for the same things, and anything you don’t know yet can wait.
- License: DCC retail license number and your city or county permit.
- Store: address, square footage, hours and whether you own or lease.
- Security: alarm company, cameras, guards, safes and how cash is handled.
- Values: tenant improvements, equipment and the most inventory you hold.
- Sales and staff: annual sales, payroll and whether you deliver.
- History: current policies and any claims.
Dispensary insurance, answered
Does a dispensary need product liability if it doesn't make anything?
Usually yes. A retailer can be named in a claim over a product it sold even when someone else made it, so dispensary programs commonly include product liability alongside general liability.
Is cash in the store covered by the property policy?
Generally not by property alone. Money and securities coverage, or a crime policy, is what responds to cash, and markets set their own security conditions for it.
Do my security measures affect the policy?
They are among the first things an underwriter asks about. California already requires a monitored alarm, commercial-grade locks, cameras over each point of sale and on-site security during open hours, and markets may add conditions of their own.
If I also deliver, is that covered here?
Delivery adds vehicles and drivers, which a premises policy may not reach. I look at commercial or hired and non-owned auto for the delivery side.
Do you offer cannabis dispensary insurance outside California?
Yes. Clients across the country send the same quote form. Sam Alishahi is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, DC and places policies there directly. The shopping across carriers works the same way. Rules, minimums and markets differ by state — see insurance requirements by state.
Send your license and store details. I'll shop it.
Your license, address, security setup and inventory values are enough to start.
Alishahi Insurance · Saman Alishahi, independent insurance broker, California License #4348151. General information, not a quote or a promise of coverage; coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued. Some policies may be placed with nonadmitted (surplus lines) insurers, which are not members of the California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA).
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(877) 711-4545Answered 24/7 · CA License #4348151
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