Criteria
Social Equity License applicants can choose to operate independently or partner with an Accelerator-Endorsed Licensee. In order to do either, the applicant must be:
- A Colorado Resident, and
- Have not previously owned a Regulated Marijuana Business that was subject to revocation, and
- The Social Equity Licensee holds at least 51% ownership in the business, and
- ONE of the following:
- The Applicant resided for at least 15 years between the years 1980 and 2010 in a census tract designated by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade as an Opportunity Zone* or designated as a "Disproportionate Impacted Area";
- The Applicant or Applicant's parent, legal guardian, sibling, spouse, child, or minor in their guardianship was arrested for a marijuana offense, convicted of a marijuana offense, or was subject to civil asset forfeiture related to a marijuana investigation; or
- The Applicant's household income in a year prior to application did not exceed 50% of the state median income as measured by the number of people who reside in the Applicant's household.
The State Licensing Authority will not deny an application for a Social Equity License or a related request for a Finding of Suitability on the sole basis of a marijuana conviction.
*Learn more about the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)'s Opportunity Zones.
Social Equity Eligibility Tools
- Unsure if you've resided in an Opportunity Zone or Disproportionate Impacted Area?
- The MED, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Safety and the Department of Local Affairs' State Demography Office, is providing this tool to assist prospective applicants who may qualify for a Social Equity License based on the above-noted "Opportunity Zone" or "Disproportionate Impacted Area" eligibility criterion:
- Search by address for Opportunity Zone and/or Disproportionate Impacted Area
- Search by address for Opportunity Zone and/or Disproportionate Impacted Area
- The MED, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Safety and the Department of Local Affairs' State Demography Office, is providing this tool to assist prospective applicants who may qualify for a Social Equity License based on the above-noted "Opportunity Zone" or "Disproportionate Impacted Area" eligibility criterion:
- Unsure if you qualify for a Social Equity License based on the "Household Income" criterion?
- Use this Median Income Table to identify the state where you (the applicant) resided in the year prior to your application and the number of individuals who resided in the applicant’s household. If your (the applicant’s) income in the year prior to application and as shown on your income tax return is less than the number shown in the column and row for your state of residence and household size, then you may qualify based on your household income.
An applicant can apply to be a Social Equity Licensee using the following criteria beginning February 1, 2025.
For information on the new criteria, please read this Industry Bulletin issued Jan. 21, 2025.
Social Equity License applicants can choose to operate independently or partner with an Accelerator-Endorsed Licensee.
In order to do either, the applicant must comply with the following:
- The applicant has not previously owned a Regulated Marijuana Business that was subject to revocation.
- The applicant has demonstrated at least one of the following:
- The applicant has resided:
i. For at least any five (5) years of the thirty (30) years prior to this application and for which data is available, in a census tract designated by the office of economic development and international trade as an opportunity zone or designated as a disproportionate impacted area; or
ii. For at least any five (5) years of the thirty (30) years prior to this application, in housing with funding provided pursuant to section 8 or 9 of the federal “United States Housing Act of 1937”, 42 U.S.C. secs. 1437f and 1437g, as amended; or
iii. For at least any five (5) years between 1980 and 2021, in housing with funding from federal low-income housing tax credits, Colorado affordable housing tax credits, or funding provided pursuant to any federal, state, or local program that restricts maximum rents for natural persons of low or moderate income that, at the time of residence, was subject to a use restriction that was monitored to ensure compliance by the federal government, the state government, a county government, or a municipal government, or by a political subdivision or designated agency of the federal government, the state government, a county government, or a municipal government.
- The applicant or the applicant’s spouse, parent, or legal guardian was arrested for and convicted of a marijuana offense.
The applicant’s sibling or child or a minor in the applicant’s guardianship was arrested for or convicted of a marijuana offense, and:
i. The applicant’s sibling or child or a minor in the applicant’s guardianship who was arrested for or convicted of a marijuana offense resided in a disproportionate impacted area for five (5) years between 1980 and 2021; or
ii. The applicant’s sibling or child or a minor in the applicant’s guardianship who was arrested for or convicted of a marijuana offense has received assistance from at least one of the programs listed in the next section for at least five years between 1980 and 2021.
The applicant has received assistance from at least one of the following programs for at least five of the ten years prior to submitting this application:
i. The low-income energy assistance program in § 40-8.7-101, et seq., C.R.S.;
ii. The supplemental nutrition assistance program in § 26-2-301, et seq., C.R.S.;
iii. Temporary assistance for needy families, as defined in § 26-2-703 (19), C.R.S.;iv. The special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children, created pursuant to 42 U.S.C. sec. 1786; or
v. The “Colorado Medical Assistance Act”, §§ 25.5-4-101, et seq., through 25.5-6-101, et seq., C.R.S.- The applicant, or collectively one or more proposed Social Equity Licensees, will hold at least fifty-one percent (51%) ownership of a Regulated Marijuana Business.
- The applicant is not an owner of more than three Regulated Marijuana Store Licenses or Regulated Marijuana Cultivation Facility Licenses.*
*For the purposes of the above, co-located Retail Marijuana Store and Medical Marijuana Store Licenses or co-located Retail Marijuana Cultivation Facility and Medical Marijuana Cultivation Facility Licenses constitute one License.
Social Equity Eligibility Tools
Unsure if you've resided in an Opportunity Zone or Disproportionate Impacted Area?
The MED, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Safety and the Department of Local Affairs' State Demography Office, is providing this tool to assist prospective applicants who may qualify for a Social Equity License based on the above-noted "Opportunity Zone" or "Disproportionate Impacted Area" eligibility criterion:
- Search the Disproportionately Impacted Areas map by address for Opportunity Zone and/or Disproportionate Impacted Area
- Note: Be sure to select the appropriate map timeframe depending on which eligibility criteria you are applying under.
1) The 1990-2023 timeframe and Opportunity Zone layers apply to § 44-10-308(6)(b)(I)(A), C.R.S.: The applicant has resided for at least any five years of the thirty-year period prior to the application and for which data is available, in a census tract designated by the Office of Economic Development and International Trade as an opportunity zone or designated as a Disproportionate Impacted Area.
2) The 1980-2021 timeframe layer applies to § 44-10-308(6)(b)(III)(A), C.R.S.: The applicant’s sibling or child or a minor in the applicant’s guardianship was arrested for or convicted of a marijuana offense and resided in a Disproportionate Impacted Area, as defined by Rule pursuant to § 44-10-203(1)(j) C.R.S., for five years between 1980 and 2021.
Do you need documentation demonstrating you qualify for a Social Equity License based on residing in low-income housing?
Here are some tips:
- Contact the property manager:
This is the most reliable way to confirm if an address has income restrictions as individual landlords and management companies set their own requirements. - Check HUD databases:
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) maintains databases listing properties that receive housing assistance through programs like Section 8. - Reach out to your local Public Housing Agency:
Your local Public Housing Agency can provide information about low-income housing options in your area, including whether a specific address is considered low-income. - Look for specific identifiers:
Some properties may explicitly state on their website or signage that they are "income restricted" or "affordable housing."
Do you need documentation demonstrating you qualify for a Social Equity License based on receiving government assistance?
- Log in to your Colorado PEAK account and attach a copy of a benefit verification letter, award letter, or other official communication from the program providing assistance during the time period at issue to your application.