Section 429.115  Registration

a)         It is unlawful for any person to engage in the business of cultivating medical cannabis in this State without a certificate of registration from the Department.

b)         Every person subject to the tax under the Law shall apply to the Department (on a form prescribed and furnished by the Department) for a certificate of registration under this Law. Application for a certificate of registration shall be made to the Department on forms furnished by the Department. [410 ILCS 130/205(a)]

c)         The certificate of registration that is issued by the Department to a retailer under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act [35 ILCS 120] shall permit a person to engage in a business of cultivating medical cannabis under the Law without registering separately with the Department [410 ILCS 130/205(a)]. If a retailer holding a certificate of registration under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act engages in the business of cultivating medical cannabis at another location in this State, the Department shall furnish him or her with a sub-certificate of registration for that place of business, and the applicant shall display the appropriate sub-certificate of registration at that place of business. The sub-certificate of registration shall bear the same registration number as that appearing upon the certificate of registration to which the sub-certificate relates. [35 ILCS 120/2a] A certificate of registration or sub-certificate of registration issued under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act waives the registration requirements process under subsection (d). However, the Department may require the retailer to provide such other information as the Department may reasonably require to administer and enforce the provisions of the Law. A retailer may not engage in the business of cultivating medical cannabis until he or she is issued a certificate of registration under subsection (f).

d)         Each application shall be signed and verified and shall state: 

1)         the name and social security number of the applicant;

2)         the address of his or her principal place of business;

3)         the address of the place of business from which he or she engages in the business of cultivating medical cannabis in this State and the addresses of all other places of business, if any (enumerating such addresses, if any, in a separate list attached to and made a part of the application), from which he or she engages in the business of cultivating medical cannabis in this State;

4)         the name and address of the person or persons who will be responsible for filing returns and payment of taxes due under the Law;

5)         in the case of a publicly traded corporation, the name and title of the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and any other officer or employee with responsibility for preparing tax returns under the Law and, in the case of all other corporations, the name, title, and social security number of each corporate officer;

6)         in the case of a limited liability company, the name, social security number, and FEIN of each manager and member; and

7)         such other information as the Department may reasonably require.

e)         The Department may, in accordance with Section 2a of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, require an applicant for a certificate of registration under subsection (d), at the time of filing the application, to furnish a bond. No certificate of registration under the Law will be issued by the Department until the applicant provides the Department with satisfactory security, if required.

f)         Upon receipt of the application for certificate of registration in proper form, and upon approval by the Department of the security furnished by the applicant, if required, the Department will issue to the applicant a certificate of registration that shall permit the person to whom it is issued to engage in the business of cultivating medical cannabis in this State at the location identified on the certificate, and the certificate of registration shall be conspicuously displayed at the location. No certificate of registration issued to an applicant shall be valid after the expiration of 1 year from the date of its issuance or last renewal. A certificate of registration shall be renewed automatically, subject to revocation as provided by the Law, for an additional 1 year from the date of its expiration, unless otherwise notified by the Department as provided by this Section. For retailers possessing a certificate of registration under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, after review of the certificate of registration issued under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, the issuance of a sub-certificate of registration, if necessary, and receipt of any additional information the Department may reasonably require, the Department will issue to the applicant a certificate of registration under the Law that shall permit the person to whom it is issued to engage in the business of cultivating medical cannabis in this State at the location identified on the certificate, and the certificate of registration shall be conspicuously displayed at that location. A certificate of registration issued to a retailer shall be valid until the expiration of the certificate of registration issued to the retailer under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. A cultivation center must also possess a Cultivation Center License issued by the Illinois Department of Agriculture for the location prior to commencement of any activities. (See 8 Ill. Adm. Code 1000.100.)

g)         Any person aggrieved by any decision of the Department under this Section may, within 20 days after notice of the decision, protest and request a hearing. After receipt of the request for a hearing, the Department shall give notice to the person of the time and place fixed for the hearing, shall hold a hearing, and shall issue its final administrative decision in the matter to the person. In the absence of a protest within 20 days, the Department's decision shall become final without any further determination being made or notice given.

h)         The Department may refuse to issue, reissue, or renew a certificate of registration authorized to be issued by the Department if a person who is named as the owner, a partner, a corporate officer, or, in the case of a limited liability company, a manager or member, of the applicant on the application for the certificate of registration is, or has been, named as the owner, a partner, a corporate officer, or, in the case of a limited liability company, a manager or member, on the application for the certificate of registration of a person that is in default for moneys due under the Law or any other tax or fee Act administered by the Department. For purposes of this Section only, in determining whether a person is in default for moneys due, the Department shall include only amounts established as a final liability within the 23 years prior to the date of the Department's notice of refusal to issue or reissue the certificate of registration, permit, or license. [20 ILCS 2505/2505-380(b)]

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 1456, effective January 17, 2023)