(Cannabis sativa)

GENERAL STANDARDS -- The standards on this sheet are in part condensed and apply to Hemp. For greater detail and additional provisions, see the General Standards. All production of hemp is subject to registration, license application and approval by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the County Agricultural Commissioner in whose county the crop is grown. Only varieties of hemp approved by the California Crop Improvement Association are eligible for certification. The size of a hemp research area or production field may be determined by the regulatory authorities in California.

PLANTING STOCK -- In most varieties Breeder seed must be planted to produce Foundation seed, Foundation seed must be planted to produce Registered seed, and Registered seed must be planted to produce Certified seed. Nursery propagation for plants intended for cannabidiol (CBD) production and processing in California will be certified by generations instead of seed classes.

APPLICATION -- Applications should be submitted electronically on CCIA’s website (Application to grow and certify seed) as soon as possible and no later than four (4) weeks after planting. New applicants should contact the CCIA office for instructions on obtaining access to the online application system. Applicants must attach to the application the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) test results of the crop that produced the planting stock or propagules.

FIELD ELIGIBILITY -- 

1. Hemp crops for foundation and registered classes must not be grown on land which in any of the preceding 3 years produced a crop of hemp.
2. Hemp crop for certified classes must not be grown on land which:
   a. In the preceding year produced a certified crop of the same variety.
   b. In either of the preceding 2 years produced a non-certified crop of hemp or a different variety of hemp.

FIELD STANDARDS

CROP INSPECTION -- Fields must be inspected at a stage of growth when varietal purity is best determined. Crops not inspected at the proper stage for best determining varietal purity may be cause for declining certified status.

1. Monoecious type hemp and unisexual hybrids require two inspections. First inspection for all classes of monoecious types must be made just before or at early flowering stage. Dioecious type hemp requires one inspection for registered and certified production. First inspection for all classes of dioecious type must be made after flowering when male plants are beginning to senesce. The second inspection for monoecious type hemp, unisexual hybrids and Foundation dioecious hemp must be made during seed development.
2. Isolation areas will be inspected for volunteer hemp plants on each inspection.

Weeds --  The presence of Broomrape (Orobanche spp.) in hemp crops is cause for rejection of certified status. Fields must be free of any prohibited noxious weeds. Restricted noxious weeds and common weeds difficult to separate must be controlled. Prohibited and Restricted noxious weeds are listed in the California Seed Law/CA Code of Regulations/Sections 3854 and 3855. See California Seed Law - Prohibited and Restricted Noxious Weed List. Fields may be rejected due to unsatisfactory appearance caused by weeds, poor growth, poor stand, disease, insect damage, and any other condition that prevents accurate inspection or creates doubt as to identity of the variety.

ISOLATION -- The area, density, stage of maturity and location of any contaminating pollen source is an important factor in cross pollination and therefore must be noted on the seed crop inspection report for consideration in determining certification status. There shall not be any Cannabis sativa L. plants within 330 feet of the crop and not more than 4 plants/acre beyond 330 feet within the isolation requirement. The required isolation must be present prior to flowering and crop inspection.

Table 1. Minimum Isolation Distances Required Between Inspected Hemp and Other Crops

IMPURITY STANDARDS-- Impurities should be removed prior to crop inspection. Any combination of impurities may be reason for declining certified status. The table below indicates the maximum number of impurities permitted by AOSCA in approximately 10,000 plants of the inspected crop. The inspector makes at least 6 counts (10,999 plants each) or the equivalent to determine the number of impurities. The resulting average of these counts must not exceed the maximum impurity standards in the table below:

Table 2. Maximum Impurity Standards per 10,000 plants in Hemp Seed Crops

FIELDS INSPECTION REPORT -- A field inspection report will be available online for the applicant. If the field is approved, a certification number will be assigned. This number must be on all containers of seed before they leave the field. It is the responsibility of the applicant to make sure their field has been inspected before it is harvested.

HARVESTING -- Harvesting is subject to the supervision of the County Agricultural Commissioner who must be contacted prior to harvest. Any seed moved out of the county for conditioning must be accompanied by an Inter-County or Inter-State Seed Transfer Certificate issued by the Commissioner.

CONDITIONING AND SAMPLING -- Conditioning of seed for certification may be done only in facilities approved for this purpose by the CCIA. It is the responsibility of the applicant to determine if the plant is eligible before delivering seed for conditioning. Conditioning, sampling, reconditioning, and
blending will be conducted under the supervision of the County Agricultural Commissioner. Conditioning equipment must be free from contaminating seed to the satisfaction of the supervising inspector.

SEED INSPECTION -- All seed must be sampled and tested after conditioning and the seed lot must meet or exceed seed certification standards for that crop. A seed lab using the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) “Rules for Testing Seeds” must test the sample. A Registered Seed Technologist must sign each lab analysis. In addition to AOSA rules, specific seed testing may be required to meet CCIA seed certification standards. Applicants must also submit THC test results of the seed crop to CCIA before the Seed Inspection Report is issued.

The conditioner is required to submit a 500 gram sample to the laboratory for analysis. (Submitted Sample Sizes for Certification). In some instances, varietal identity cannot be determined by visual seed inspections. Seed must be well screened and graded, bright in color, of good appearance and meet the following standards:

*Inert matter shall not include more than 0.5 per cent of material other than seed fragments of the variety under consideration.

**Other kinds shall not exceed 2 per lb. (454 grams) for Foundation, 6 for Registered, 10 for Certified.

The CCIA requires Reports of Analysis for initial certification to be dated no more than a maximum of six (6) months prior to the request for seed certification. The ‘Purity Analysis’ and ‘Germination’ must be conducted on the same laboratory seed sample and those results must be presented in a single Report of Analysis.

FINAL CERTIFICATION AND TAGGING -- If the seed sample meets all standards a seed inspection report is issued. Before certification is complete, however, each container must have an official tag or label attached. Certified seed may be sold to a grower in bulk without tagging if a properly filled out Bulk Sale Certificate accompanies the shipment. The tags and Bulk Sale Certificates are issued by the California Crop Improvement Association.

Updated October 2025