Frequently Asked Questions

No. The first version of the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) included an error, listing a business license as one of the eligibility criteria to apply. An updated NOFA was released on August 5, 2022 which strikes the business license requirement. The NOFA featured on the webpage is the updated version.

If the County pays you directly, that is considered by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to be taxable income and you will be required to pay federal and state taxes on it.  

Current means Measure S cannabis cultivation taxes billed for first installment of 2020 and all years prior, have been paid in full.

8:00 AM Monday, August 22, 2022

5:00 PM PST Friday, September 2, 2022.  

No, only online applications are accepted.

The Humboldt County Planning and Building Department office at 3015 H Street in Eureka has a computer available in the lobby for filing an application.  You will need to bring hard copies of the required documents to be uploaded: 1) scope of work, 2) line item budget, 3) plot plan, 4) notarized owner consent form if the applicant is different from the property owner, and if you operate with an Interim Permit 5) creation deed.  Department staff will assist in uploading these into the online application.

Funds can only reimburse a purchase or cost the applicant has incurred after approval of the grant agreement, which was January 21, 2022.

In addition to completing all fields in the application form, you must provide all required attachments. Applications lacking the required attachments will not be considered for funding.

The County is required to report to the IRS any payments made directly to you as personal income.  The County will issue you a 1099-MISC to file with your taxes.  

Yes, if these expenditures assist licensees in meeting annual license requirements.

Yes, if these expenditures are needed assist licensees in meeting annual license requirements.

Yes, if these expenditures assist licensees in meeting annual license requirements. A property is eligible if the commercial cannabis operation is not connected to the power grid, even if it has an existing residence or approved use that is connected.

Yes.

Each property (legal parcel) may only receive one renewable energy grant *and* one water storage & conservation grant. Two applications for the same grant program (e.g. two applications for renewable energy systems) will not be considered on the same property.

When an application is submitted, if the applicant requests an email copy of the form (recommended), they will almost immediately receive an email containing the submitted application form.  We anticipate that the final ranking of all the applications will be available October 21, 2022 (the Friday before the Tuesday public hearing when the Board considers the grant awards).

The answers in the “Ranking Criteria” section of the application and all of the attachments will be used to rank applications.  “Yes” answers are ranked higher than “No” answers.  With the Renewable Energy System program, projects that convert the most energy use from non-renewable to renewable fuel sources are ranked highest. 

The order of application submittal will be a tie-breaker between applications that receive the same ranking from the scoring matrix. We anticipate that final ranking of all the applications will be available October 21, 2022 (the Friday before the Tuesday public hearing when the Board considers the grant awards).

The Board of Supervisors at a public hearing. We anticipate that the Board of Supervisors will consider funding projects at their October 25, 2022 meeting.

You may present information in support of a request for a higher ranking to the Board of Supervisors at the public hearing when they consider the grant awards. We anticipate the Board of Supervisors will consider funding projects at their October 25, 2022 meeting.  

We anticipate the Board of Supervisors will consider funding projects at their October 25, 2022 meeting.  

It depends on the amounts requested in the eligible applications received.  If all the applicants requested the maximum amounts, close to 300 projects would be funded (105 renewable energy projects, 195 water storage and conservation projects).

You may apply, but you cannot be paid/reimbursed twice for the same expenses.

Applicant-submitted photographic documentation and receipts will be the primary means of verification.  Cannabis permit post approval annual inspections will also be used to verify work completion.

In order to be considered for the grant funding, you must answer "yes" to all of the eligibility questions, complete all fields of the application form, and provide all requested attachments. 

If you hold your annual permit for cannabis cultivation (i.e. your ZCC was signed by the Planning Director, your Special Permit was approved by the Zoning Administrator or your Conditional Use Permit was approved by the Planning Commission), then you have a legal parcel. The Planning and Building Department only issues permits on legal parcels.

If you hold an Interim Permit, you must submit proof of legal parcel status (e.g. a creation deed, Certificate of Subdivision Compliance, etc.) for the parcel as an attachment to your online application. This is an important step to enable staff to confirm the status of the parcel.

A lot is considered legal if it was created in accordance with the subdivision rules in effect at the time of creation and subsequent transfers of the property did not affect its shape and size. Subdivision rules have changed over time. In some cases determining how a property was created, and tracing the chain of transfer over time can be a costly and time consuming challenge. When the legal status of a lot is in question, an application with the Current Planning Division to conduct a determination of legal status may be needed.

Both Programs:

• who will be doing which tasks, 
• when the tasks will begin and end, and 

Water Storage Program:

• what are the expected outcomes including the methodology and calculations used to estimate the project’s quantified increase in storage and conservation

Renewable Energy Program

• what are the expected outcomes including the methodology and calculations used to estimate the project’s quantified reduction in gallons of fuel used each year by generators to provide electricity for the applicant’s cannabis cultivation