Dispensary Security Cameras: How Many and What They Cost

The short answer

A typical 1,500 square foot dispensary needs 16 to 20 security cameras, and a larger or multi-floor store 24 to 32. The cameras themselves are the predictable part of the bill. The part that decides what you actually pay is storage, because your state tells you how many days of continuous footage to keep, and that number runs from 30 days in Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona and New Jersey to 90 days in California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Oregon and Maryland and 180 days in Pennsylvania's medical program. Same cameras, six times the disk.

Software vendors that publish dispensary buying guides put a complete security install at roughly $10,000 to $50,000. We break down each state's rule, with the citation, on our page covering the cannabis security system requirements and cost by state. This article is the camera and storage half of that budget.

How many security cameras does a dispensary need?

Count by coverage, not by square footage, because state rules are written as a list of places that must be on camera. Every point of sale. Every entrance and exit, inside and out. The vault or safe room. Every room where product is received, stored, handled or destroyed. Most states also want the recording equipment itself locked away, and the image good enough to identify a face and follow a transaction.

Installer placement guides turn that list into a working number. For a standard 1,500 square foot store the common breakdown is three or four cameras on the registers, two on the vault, four to six on the sales floor, three or four on entries and employee areas, and two or three outside. That is where the 16 to 20 figure comes from. Add a camera for each extra register, each display case the floor cameras cannot see clearly, and each additional door.

Two points save money here. First, draw the plan yourself before an installer walks the space, so every quote is pricing the same camera count. Second, one camera per register is not optional in practice even where the rule does not say so in those words, because the register is where a regulator will ask you to prove what happened.

How much do dispensary security cameras cost?

Split it into four lines, because each is priced differently and only one of them scales with your state.

The install range published for complete systems, $10,000 to $50,000 per IndicaOnline and around $50,000 per Cova, covers more than cameras: alarms, access control and reinforced doors are in it too. Both are point of sale vendors writing guides for new operators, not installers quoting a real building, so use the range to spot a quote that is far outside it rather than as a target.

An older data point is worth knowing because it shows how long the monthly storage problem has existed. In 2015 a Denver integrator told the trade publication CE Pro that its dispensary installs averaged about $10,000 for 16 cameras and that it charged $35 per camera per month for off-site recording. That figure is more than a decade old and should not be used as a quote. What has not changed is the structure: the install is a one-time bill and the storage runs for as long as the license does.

How much storage does a dispensary camera system need?

This is the calculation most quotes do not show you, so here it is. A camera recording continuously at 2 megabits per second, which is a modest setting for a 1080p camera using modern compression, writes about 21.6 gigabytes a day. A 16-camera store at that setting writes about 346 gigabytes a day. Multiply by the days your state requires.

Our arithmetic, assuming continuous 24-hour recording at a constant bitrate. Real bitrates vary with the camera, the compression setting and how much motion is in the frame, so ask each installer for the bitrate their proposal assumes and run the same multiplication.

Three things follow from that table. The retention period matters more than the camera brand: a Pennsylvania store needs six times the storage of a Colorado store with identical cameras. Sharper cameras double the storage bill as well as the camera bill, which is why buying far above your state's resolution floor is an expensive habit. And motion-triggered recording, where your state allows it outside operating hours, can cut the total substantially, but Missouri prohibits it wherever product is present and California requires continuous recording, so check before you let a quote assume it.

Is cloud storage cheaper than a recorder for a dispensary?

Usually not for the full retention period, and the reason is in how cloud camera plans are priced. Videoloft, for example, advertises 24/7 cloud recording from $5.99 per camera per month, and that plan keeps two days of footage. Every state on our list requires at least 30. Cloud storage is billed by retention, so the long periods cannabis requires are exactly where the price climbs, and it climbs every month for the life of the license.

An on-site recorder holds 60 or 90 days far more cheaply because the drives are a one-time purchase. Its weakness is that the evidence sits in the same building as the incident. The common answer is a hybrid: full retention on site, plus a shorter rolling cloud copy of the cameras that matter most, which are the vault and the registers. Oregon takes the choice away by requiring a real-time off-site backup of the surveillance room, and Illinois requires a live portal regulators can open, so price those states differently.

What resolution should dispensary cameras be?

At least your state's floor, and not dramatically above it without a reason. California requires 1280 by 720 at 15 frames per second. Missouri requires 1920 by 1080 at 15 frames per second across the store. Nevada asks for 1920 by 1080 at entrances, exits, the vault and every point of sale and allows 720 by 480 elsewhere. Oregon sets 1280 by 720 at 10 frames per second and Illinois 8 frames per second. Several states give no pixel number and require enough detail to identify a person instead.

Installers often recommend 4 megapixel cameras on the registers and 4K on the vault door, and there is a real case for sharper cameras where a face or a bill has to be identified. Just price the storage at the same time. A camera that is twice as sharp roughly doubles the terabytes it needs for the same number of days.

Can I use cameras I already own?

Often, yes, if they meet your state's resolution and frame-rate floor and your recorder can hold the required days. The expensive mistake is ripping out working cameras because a new vendor's system only supports its own hardware. Before you accept that, price software that works with standard ONVIF and RTSP cameras, since tools that add video analytics to the cameras you already have can give you alerts and search without replacing a single lens. That matters most for an operator buying an existing store, where the camera count is right and the recorder is the only thing that is undersized.

What else to budget next to the cameras

Cameras are one part of a security plan your state reviews before you open, alongside the alarm, access control, the safe and how cash leaves the building. Who has to monitor the alarm varies by state: California requires a licensed alarm company operator, New York a third-party central station, and Pennsylvania professional monitoring, while Missouri and Nevada require automatic notification of police instead. Your insurer will ask about all of it, and our breakdown of dispensary insurance cost covers how those answers show up in the premium.

If you are still building the opening budget, security sits next to the license fee, the build-out and the compliance software on our page about the cost to open a dispensary. None of those lines brings in a customer. That is the job of being findable once you open, and a claimed, license-verified listing on Dispensaries is $99 a month, flat, which you can read about on our page for listing your dispensary.

Frequently asked questions

How many cameras does a dispensary need?

A standard 1,500 square foot dispensary typically needs 16 to 20 cameras: three or four on the registers, two on the vault, four to six on the sales floor, three or four on entries and employee areas, and two or three outside. Larger or multi-floor stores run 24 to 32. State rules define the required coverage, so count from your rule, not from a template.

How long do dispensaries keep security footage?

Between 30 and 180 days depending on the state. Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona and New Jersey require 30 days; Washington, Ohio and Florida 45; New York and Missouri 60; California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Oregon and Maryland 90; and Pennsylvania's medical program 180. Footage related to an incident usually has to be kept longer.

Do dispensary cameras have to record 24/7?

In most states, yes, at least where product is present. California requires continuous recording and Missouri prohibits motion-triggered recording wherever product is present. Colorado, Michigan and Nevada allow motion recording in some circumstances, and New York requires continuous recording during operating hours. Check your rule before you let a quote assume motion recording to save storage.

How much does a dispensary camera system cost?

Vendors that publish dispensary guides put a complete security install, including cameras, alarm and access control, at roughly $10,000 to $50,000. Within that, the camera line depends on count and resolution, and the storage line depends on how many days your state requires. A 90-day state needs about three times the storage of a 30-day state for the same cameras.

Dispensaries lists state-licensed dispensaries and does not sell security equipment or services. State requirements summarized here were read from each state's regulation in September 2026 and change over time, so confirm current rules with your state regulator. This article is general information for licensed operators, not legal advice.