21+
age to buy seeds and clones at an adult-use store
6 plants
California adult-use home-grow limit
Nov 12, 2026
new federal hemp definition, excluding viable seeds from cannabis plants above 0.3% total THC, takes effect
Under 18 in
height and width limit for non-flowering immature plants a California retailer may sell (DCC 15408)
The short answer to where to buy marijuana seeds in California: a state-licensed dispensary. Under DCC regulations, licensed retailers can sell cannabis seeds and immature plants as long as they came from a licensed nursery or a licensed microbusiness. Not every store carries them, and stock comes and goes, so call before you drive over. Adults 21 and older can buy, and the Department of Cannabis Control lets those adults grow up to six plants at home.
Online seed banks that ship from outside the state are the other route people ask about. They are not part of California’s licensed supply chain, for reasons covered below. A licensed California store taking an online order for pickup or delivery is a different thing. And before any seed goes in soil, check your city’s rules and your lease.
Last reviewed: November 2026.
Where to buy marijuana seeds in California: licensed stores
Section 15408 of the DCC rules sets the conditions. A licensed retailer may sell seeds and live immature plants only if they originated from a licensed nursery or a microbusiness licensed to cultivate. Immature plants must also be non-flowering and shorter and narrower than 18 inches, and the store may not apply pesticides to them. Adult-use customers can buy up to six immature plants a day under section 15409.
Four questions to ask before you drive over
Seed and clone stock changes often. A two-minute call saves the trip.
Today
In stock?
Ask whether the store has seeds or clones right now, and whether you can hold them for pickup.
Nursery
Who made them?
Licensed stores can only sell seeds and plants from a licensed nursery or microbusiness. Ask which one.
Seed traits
What type?
Regular, feminized or autoflower, and photoperiod or not. These change how you grow the plant.
Rooted plants
Clones too?
A rooted clone skips germination. Ask how long it has been rooted and what light it grew under.
To check that a shop is licensed, use the license search linked from the DCC consumer page. DCC also requires retailers to display their state license in the window, with a QR code you can scan to confirm its status. For Vibe, use the Vibe locations page to find your store’s number and ask what is on the shelf this week.
Are marijuana seeds legal in California?
Under California law, yes, for adults 21 and over buying from a licensed store. DCC regulation 15408 lets licensed retailers sell cannabis seeds that came from a licensed nursery or microbusiness. Growing them is governed by Health and Safety Code section 11362.2: subdivision (a)(3) allows not more than six living plants within a single private residence or on its grounds at one time, six per home rather than six per adult, and (a)(2) requires plants and any harvest above 28.5 grams to be kept in a locked space not visible from a public place. Under (b), cities and counties cannot ban indoor home grows but can ban outdoor ones.
Federal law is changing. In a January 6, 2022 letter, the DEA said cannabis seed with a delta-9 THC concentration of 0.3% or less on a dry-weight basis met the 2018 farm bill’s definition of hemp and was not a controlled substance. Congress then rewrote that definition. The Congressional Research Service reports that the FY2026 agriculture appropriations act (P.L. 119-37), enacted November 12, 2025, measures hemp by total THC including THCA and takes effect November 12, 2026. A second CRS report lists what the new definition excludes, including viable seeds from a cannabis plant whose total THC exceeds 0.3%. From that date, seeds from marijuana plants fall outside the federal hemp definition.
Cannabis also stays illegal under federal law on federal land and across state lines, as DCC reminds Californians. This is general information, not legal advice; for your situation, ask a lawyer.
Can you buy marijuana seeds online?
Many online seed banks ship nationwide and have relied on the 2022 DEA letter. A seller shipping seeds by mail is not part of California’s licensed nursery supply chain, so DCC does not oversee those packets. Selling online is not the problem in itself: a DCC-licensed retailer can take an online order for pickup or delivery, and you can check any seller in DCC’s license search. Under the federal definition that takes effect November 12, 2026, viable seeds from a cannabis plant above 0.3% total THC are no longer hemp, which removes the basis many of those sellers used for shipping.
A licensed store is the route California regulates: the seller is licensed, the seeds come from a licensed nursery, and you can ask questions face to face.
Side by side
Licensed store or mail-order seed bank?
| Question | Licensed California store | Seed bank shipping by mail |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed by DCC | YesState license shown in the window, with a QR code to scan | NoNot licensed by DCC |
| Seeds from a licensed nursery | YesRequired by DCC section 15408 (licensed nursery or microbusiness) | NoNot through California's licensed nursery supply chain |
| DCC oversight | YesDCC licenses and inspects the store; oversight, not a guarantee of each packet | NoOutside DCC's licensed supply chain |
| After November 12, 2026 | State rulesYou buy under California rules; federal law still applies separately | Basis removedViable seeds from plants above 0.3% total THC are no longer federal hemp |
Sources: DCC regulations section 15408; Congressional Research Service IN12620 and LSB11381. General information, not legal advice.
Regular, feminized and autoflower seeds, explained
Regular seeds produce a mix of male and female plants. Feminized seeds are bred to produce female plants, the ones that grow the flower. Autoflower describes something else: when the plant blooms. The University of Saskatchewan flowering guide says photoperiod plants flower once they get 12 hours or more of uninterrupted darkness, while autoflowering plants begin flowering on their own after about four to five weeks of total growth, whatever the light. Cornell’s hemp flowering-time research describes the same split in hemp, with most CBD cultivars flowering only when nights are long enough.
Scroll the steps
From seed packet to sprout
The University of Saskatchewan germination method, in four steps.
Soak
12 to 16 hours
Soak seeds in clean water overnight. Never longer than 24 hours.
Sprout
Damp paper towel
Optional: fold seeds into a damp towel in a closed container somewhere warm and dark.
Plant
About 1 cm deep
Root pointing down, medium moist like a damp sponge, at 23 to 27°C.
Emerge
Low, gentle light
Keep the medium moist and the light moderate until the seedling breaks the surface.
Most viable seeds open within two to seven days.
So a packet can be feminized and autoflowering at once. Autoflowers suit a grower who wants a simple light setup; photoperiod plants let you decide how long the plant grows before you flip it to flower. If you would rather skip germination, a rooted clone is the other way in; see our first two weeks with a dispensary clone.
Germinating is easy. USask’s germination guide says most viable seeds open within two to seven days at 23 to 27°C. Soak them for 12 to 16 hours (never more than 24) or sprout them in a damp paper towel, then plant about 1 cm deep with the root pointing down.
Before you plant: rules for your address
Count before you buy. Section 11362.2(a)(3) caps an adult-use home grow at six living plants per residence, and a pack of seeds can easily hold more than that. Medical patients can grow more if their physician recommends it, according to DCC. Check your city or county website for permit rules or an outdoor ban, and if you rent, read the lease.
Our home-grow guide walks through every stage from germination to drying, and the 2026 California cannabis law guide covers buying, possession and where you can use cannabis.
Frequently asked questions
At a state-licensed dispensary that stocks them. DCC rules let licensed retailers sell seeds and immature plants from licensed nurseries or microbusinesses. Not every store carries seeds, so call ahead.
Some do. California allows licensed retailers to sell cannabis seeds and clones that came from a licensed nursery or microbusiness, but stock varies by store and week.
In California, yes for adults 21 and over buying from a licensed retailer, and Health and Safety Code section 11362.2 allows six living plants per residence. Federally, a new hemp definition taking effect November 12, 2026 excludes viable seeds from cannabis plants above 0.3% total THC.
Seed banks that ship by mail are not licensed by DCC and sit outside the state supply chain. Many relied on a 2022 DEA letter, which is now historical: the federal hemp definition that takes effect November 12, 2026 excludes viable seeds from cannabis plants above 0.3% total THC. A DCC-licensed retailer, including one taking online orders for pickup or delivery, is the route California regulates.
Licensed California retailers may sell immature, non-flowering plants under 18 inches tall and wide that came from a licensed nursery, up to six per adult-use customer per day. Call your store to ask about clones.
Sources
- DCC: What's legal
- DCC: Text of regulations (sections 15408 and 15409)
- DEA letter to Shane Pennington on cannabis seeds, January 6, 2022 (copy hosted by the Vermont Legislature)
- USask: Flowering
- USask: Germination
- Cornell Hemp: Flowering time in hemp
- California Health and Safety Code section 11362.2
- Congressional Research Service IN12620: Change to federal definition of hemp (December 3, 2025)
- Congressional Research Service LSB11381: Changes to the federal definition of hemp
For adults 21+ (18+ with a physician’s recommendation in California). Keep out of reach of children and pets. Do not drive or operate machinery after use.
Ask your local Vibe about seeds
Find your nearest California Vibe store and call to ask whether seeds or clones are in stock.