What the security rule asks of your plan
- ApplicationThe annual license application includes a safety and security plan that conforms with 9.10 (7.10(a)17).
- Before the licenseThe video system is approved by the Commission prior to license issuance (9.10(b)9i).
- After build-outThe Commission’s final onsite assessment checks the premises, plans and procedures against the application (7.14(i)).
- OperatingThe clocks keep running: alarm tests at most 30 days apart, a rolling 30-day archive, the 24-hour watch and the reporting deadlines below.
9.10(b)–(d)
The plan has to conform with N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(b) to (d). One row per provision; open a row to read the rule’s own words.
“Usually supplied by” is how the work is usually divided in New Jersey, not something the rule assigns.
9.10(b)1Rule textAn alarm that tells your staff and the police at once about a break-in or a system failure, with a backup that tells the police when the power goes.Usually supplied by: Licensed alarm installer; signals go to a central station
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(b)1, the rule’s words“Install, maintain in good working order, and operate a safety and security alarm system … that provides, at a minimum: i. Immediate automatic or electronic notification to alert cannabis business personnel and State or local police agencies to an unauthorized breach of security or an alarm or system failure …; and ii. A backup system that activates immediately and automatically upon a loss of electrical support and that immediately issues either automatic or electronic notification to State or local police agencies of the loss of electrical support.”
9.10(b)2Rule textMeasures that keep people out of the areas holding cannabis and stop theft.Usually supplied by: You, set out in the plan
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(b)2, the rule’s words“Implement appropriate security and safety measures to deter and prevent the unauthorized entrance into areas containing cannabis and the theft of cannabis.”
9.10(b)3Rule textMeasures that protect the premises, your customers and your staff.Usually supplied by: You, set out in the plan
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(b)3, the rule’s words“Implement security measures that protect the cannabis business premises, consumers, and cannabis business personnel.”
9.10(b)4Rule textA written protocol for testing and maintaining the alarm.Usually supplied by: You, with your alarm installer
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(b)4, the rule’s words“Establish a protocol for the testing and maintenance of the security alarm system.”
9.10(b)5Rule textThe alarm inspected and tested, and repairs made promptly.Figure: At most 30 days apartUsually supplied by: Licensed alarm installer
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(b)5, the rule’s words“Conduct maintenance inspections and tests of the security alarm system at the cannabis business premises at intervals not to exceed 30 days from the previous inspection and test and promptly implement all necessary repairs to ensure the proper operation of the alarm system.”
9.10(b)6Rule textIf the alarm will be down for longer than eight hours: tell the Commission, and either use security measures it approves or close the affected premises until the alarm works again.Figure: Longer than eight hoursUsually supplied by: You
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(b)6, the rule’s words“In the event of a failure of the security alarm system due to a loss of electrical support or mechanical malfunction that is expected to last longer than eight hours: i. Notify the Commission pursuant to N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.11; and ii. Provide alternative security measures approved by the Commission or close the authorized cannabis business premises impacted by the failure or malfunction until the security alarm system is restored to full operation.”
9.10(b)7Rule textAccess from outside kept to a minimum and controlled.Usually supplied by: You, set out in the plan
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(b)7, the rule’s words“Keep access from outside the cannabis business premises to a minimum and ensure that access is well controlled.”
9.10(b)8Rule textOnly authorized people enter the areas where cannabis is held.Usually supplied by: You, set out in the plan
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(b)8, the rule’s words“Limit entry into areas where cannabis is held to authorized personnel.”
9.10(b)9Rule textCameras, electronic monitoring and panic buttons inside and outside. The video has to clearly monitor all critical control activities and work at all times, the Commission gets remote viewing, the system is approved before the license is issued, and recordings are kept safe.Figure: 30-day archiveUsually supplied by: Your installer; the Commission approves it
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(b)9, the rule’s words“Equip interior and exterior premises with electronic monitoring, video cameras, and panic buttons. i. A video surveillance system shall be installed and operated at the cannabis business premises to clearly monitor all critical control activities of the cannabis business and shall be in working order and operating at all times. The cannabis business shall provide access for remote viewing by the Commission. This system shall be approved by the Commission prior to license issuance. ii. The original tapes or digital pictures produced by this system shall be stored in a safe place with a 30-day archive.”
9.10(b)10Rule textThe outside and the perimeter well lit, with every entrance and exit lit for the cameras. Motion sensors are allowed where light would disturb a grow’s light and dark cycles.Usually supplied by: You, set out in the plan
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(b)10, the rule’s words“Keep the outside areas of the cannabis business premises and its perimeter well-lighted. i. Exterior lighting must be sufficient to deter nuisance and criminal activity and facilitate surveillance and must make reasonable efforts to not disturb surrounding businesses or neighbors; and ii. The video surveillance system shall be supported by adequate security lighting, which shall illuminate all entrances and exits, and which may be modified, as necessary, to include motion control sensors to protect cultivation light-dark cycles.”
9.10(b)11Rule textA named staff member the police and your neighbors can call, during and after hours.Figure: Neighbors within 100 feetUsually supplied by: You
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(b)11, the rule’s words“Provide law enforcement and neighbors within 100 feet of the cannabis business premises with the name and phone number of a staff member to notify during and after operating hours to whom they can report problems with the establishment.”
9.10(c)Rule textThe alarm and the video watched around the clock.Figure: 24 hours a day, 7 days a weekUsually supplied by: A central station for the alarm; for the video, whoever your plan names
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(c), the rule’s words“The security alarm system and video surveillance system pursuant to (b) above shall be continuously monitored, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
9.10(c)1Rule textThat watching can be done off-site.Usually supplied by: —
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(c)1, the rule’s words“Monitoring of the security alarm system and video surveillance system may be conducted off-site.”
9.10(d)Rule text(b) and (c) don’t apply to a distributor’s or delivery service’s administrative office where no cannabis is kept.Usually supplied by: —
N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10(d), the rule’s words“Subsections (b) and (c) above do not apply to the administrative office of a cannabis distributor or delivery service where cannabis items are not possessed or stored.”
N.J.A.C. 17:30, the Commission’s published rules as amended effective March 6, 2023, read September 17, 2026.
“Critical control activities” isn’t defined anywhere in the rules; your plan says how your cameras cover them.
Security also belongs in your operations manual and training
The operations manual covers employee, visitor and facility security policies, and safety procedures including a disaster plan and crime prevention (17:30-9.6(a)4–5). Everyone who handles cannabis gets at least eight hours of ongoing training a year, including how to use the security measures and controls you’ve adopted and how to respond to an emergency, including a robbery or workplace violence (17:30-9.8).
Your insurer may have its own list
Your property policy can set security conditions of its own, separate from the Commission’s rule. One filed policy for cannabis businesses — one carrier’s, not a New Jersey or industry-wide requirement — sets these:
| Safeguard | N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.10 | One filed policy |
|---|---|---|
| Recordings | A 30-day archive, stored safely | All cameras recording, backed up, kept at least 14 days |
| Cameras | All critical control activities, inside and outside | Inside: every door and window used as a way in, display counters, safe and vault rooms, harvesting and trimming rooms. Outside: every way in and the parking lot |
| Alarm | Immediate notice to staff and police; backup power | Central alarm, motion detectors in all areas except living plant areas, on whenever the premises are empty |
| If a safeguard fails | Alarm down longer than eight hours: Commission-approved measures, or close | Cover continues only with a licensed watchperson present on the premises |
This is one filed policy, not the market. Check your own policy’s schedule against your plan; the two don’t have to match.
Who supplies and who watches
9.10(b)9
- Cameras
- Recorder30-day archive · (b)9ii
- Remote viewingyou, and the Commission · (b)9i
Installed by your installer; approved by the Commission before the license
Remote viewing is someone choosing to look at the cameras. It answers the Commission-access clause.
9.10(b)1, (c)
- Alarm panel and sensors
- Central station
- Your staff and the policeimmediate notice · (b)1
Installed and tested by a New Jersey licensed alarm business; signals usually handled by its partner central station
Central stationCredentials in quotes: a UL listing means an on-site audit against UL 827, the standard for central-station alarm services, with annual audits; Five Diamond is a monitoring association’s designation, including operators recertified every three years.
Alarm monitoring is a central station receiving the alarm’s signals. It answers (b)1 and the alarm half of (c).
9.10(c), (c)1
- Live video
- A person watching off-site(c), (c)1
- Acts on what they seehow remote guarding works
What Blinkless does
A watched feed is a person off-site watching the live video. The rule says the video surveillance system shall be continuously monitored and that this may be conducted off-site; it doesn’t say what monitoring a video system involves. That reading is the Commission’s. If your plan depends on it, ask the Commission or your attorney.
| Party | Its part |
|---|---|
| You, the licensee | Own the plan and every duty in it; notify the police and the Commission; keep the records |
| Security consultant | Writes the plan and the floor plan and selects the vendors. Consultants generally don’t sell monitoring themselves |
| Licensed alarm installer | Installs, maintains and tests the alarm and cameras. New Jersey licenses that work; the license takes years of hands-on alarm wiring |
| Central station | Receives alarm signals around the clock, usually as the installer’s partner |
| Video monitoring provider | Watches the live video from off-site. Never needs to enter the premises |
| The Commission | Reads the plan with the application, approves the video system before the license, has remote viewing, assesses the site after build-out, receives incident notices |
| The police | Get the alarm’s breach and power-loss notices, and a call at once about a theft |
8.1 · 9.4 · 7.10
Anyone who enters the premises or handles cannabis needs a Cannabis Business Identification Card (17:30-8.1); a vendor’s staff on site without one are visitors and are escorted (17:30-9.4). People who watch from off-site and never enter aren’t named among those who need the card. The state keeps no approved list of monitoring companies; your application lists every vendor-contractor you have a contract with (17:30-7.10).
When something happens
9.11
The reporting clock in N.J.A.C. 17:30-9.11, by what happened:
| What happened | Immediately | Within 3 hours | Within 24 hours | Within 5 business days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A theft, a loss, diversion, or an inventory discrepancy | Call the police immediately. | Notify the Commission no later than three hours after you discover it. | ||
| An alarm activation that needs police or other public-safety response, or a breach of security | Phone the Commission within 24 hours. | Follow up by email within five business days, with any corrective measures taken. | ||
| The alarm will be down for longer than eight hours | Phone the Commission within 24 hours, | then email within five business days. | ||
| Use alternative security measures the Commission approves, or close the affected premises until the alarm works again (9.10(b)6). | ||||
Every event you report is documented and kept in auditable form for at least two years (17:30-9.7(g)).
Our part
When we’re watching a site and see something, you get alerts, the footage and an incident report.
For plan writers: how filed plans are written
3 public filings
Three New Jersey licensees’ security plans are public: a Jersey City dispensary’s (filed with a planning board, 2022), a class 2 licensee’s (2024) and an Atlantic City retailer’s (2024). They specify much more than the rule does, and none of the three says who watches the video off-site.
Compare the three plans
| Plan | Jersey City dispensary | Class 2 licensee | Atlantic City retailer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameras cover | All entries and exits, the vault, processing, point of sale, and every area where cannabis is stored, handled, dispensed or destroyed; angled for facial recognition | Inside and outside; activity identifiable within twenty feet of every entry and exit | Every area holding cannabis items, all safes and vaults, entrances and exits |
| Recording | 8 frames per second; kept 30 days minimum; systems backed up 90 days | At least 12 frames per second, cameras of at least 1.3 megapixels; on site and in the cloud, 30-day archive | Date- and time-stamped stills; standard format |
| Power | 4 hours of UPS, then 80 hours of alarm battery | A backup battery | — |
| Testing | Daily by the site manager; inspected monthly by a state-licensed contractor | At least every 30 days | Not more than 30 days apart |
| The watch | The manager’s office in business hours; a UL approved central station out of hours | Its own security department and an unnamed professional security company | Video continuously monitored “either on or off-site,” coordinated with the city police |
The rule sets the 30-day archive and the 30-day test interval. Frame rates, megapixels, backup days and daily tests are these plans’ own choices, not requirements.
“All security systems will be monitored 24/7 365 days per year … (via a UL approved central station).”
“Monitoring of the surveillance system will be done 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by [the licensee’s] security department and professional security company.”
Questions for a monitoring quote, and a section outline
Ask the company quoting
- Do you watch the live video, or receive alarm signals, or both?
- Is the watch yours, or a partner central station’s? Is that station UL listed?
- Does your setup keep the Commission’s remote viewing working?
- Where is the 30-day archive kept, and who can reach it?
- After an incident, what do you send me, and how fast, so I can meet the 9.11 deadlines?
- Will any of your people need to enter the premises? (Then they need the card, or an escort.)
Outline of a monitoring section
MONITORING SECTION — [site name and address]
- 9.10(b)11. Alarm panel and sensors; who is notified on a breach or failure; backup power and its notice to police.
- 9.10(b)4–52. Testing the protocol; who inspects and tests; interval (not more than 30 days).
- 9.10(b)63. Alarm outage who decides the outage will exceed eight hours; how the Commission is told; the alternative measures proposed.
- 9.10(b)94. Cameras areas covered; how critical control activities are covered; recording and the 30-day archive; Commission remote viewing.
- 9.10(b)105. Lighting entrances, exits, perimeter; motion control where light cycles matter.
- 9.10(c)6. The 24-hour watch the alarm — by whom, where; the video — by whom, where; on-site or off-site.
- 9.11, 9.7(g)7. Incidents who calls the police; who notifies the Commission, by when; where the records are kept, and for how long.
- 9.10(b)118. Contacts the staff member named to police and to neighbors within 100 feet.
- 7.109. Vendor-contractors every monitoring, alarm and security company under contract.
An outline to fill with your site’s own answers, not compliance language.
Free · no site visit
Your site’s monitoring section, drafted remotely
We review your camera coverage from satellite imagery and your camera list, and send it back as the monitoring section of your plan, structured like the outline above. The quote comes as that section, so you’re pricing a scope for your own site. It’s yours to keep whether or not you go further.
- Tell us about the site. Where it is, where the license stands, and the cameras you have or plan. No new cameras are needed to start, and the premises don’t have to be built yet.
- We look at it remotely. From satellite imagery and your camera list. Nobody needs to come out.
- You get a coverage map. What each camera sees, and where the gaps are.
- And a written monitoring section. What gets watched, from which camera and when, with the price attached. Consultants can send a client’s site; whether the plan names Blinkless is up to you and your client.
Request your site’s monitoring section
Tell us where the site is, where the license stands and which cameras are up or planned. It’s free, and nobody needs to come out.
Sources
N.J.A.C. 17:30-1.2, 7.10, 7.14, 8.1, 9.4, 9.6, 9.7(g), 9.8, 9.10 and 9.11, from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission’s published rules, as amended effective March 6, 2023, read September 17, 2026. The three security plans are public filings, read September 18, 2026. The insurer comparison is from one filed cannabis property policy. We quote the rules and don’t interpret them. Nothing on this page is legal advice.