Citation Format

Throughout the app, we provide citations that link our content to the state or local regulations referenced when reading an audit question or using an SOP template. The citation can look complicated to those without some legal training, so this article provides a guide for understanding the citation format.

Base Format

All of our citations use a base format of Code + Title + Section + Year. Let's break that down and explain each part.

Code

“Code” refers to the compilation of the rules and regulations of a state or local jurisdiction. Each jurisdiction refers to its code in a slightly different way. For example:

• In California, the California Code of Regulations, which we abbreviate as CCR
• In Colorado, the Code of Colorado Regulations, which we abbreviate as CCR
• In Nevada, the Nevada Administrative Code, which we abbreviate as NAC

Title

“Title” is the second piece of our citation format and it refers to a subset of the code.

For example, in California there are three agencies that issue regulations for cannabis businesses. They are the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Department of Public Health. The regulations from each agency are located in different parts of the California Code of Regulations and have unique titles. For example:

• The Bureau of Cannabis Control is Title 16
• The Department of Food and Agriculture is Title 3
• The Department of Public Health is Title 17

Section

“Section” is the third piece of the citation format and it refers to a subset of the title.

Year

"Year" is the fourth piece of the citation format. It shows the year a particular regulation was published. The code, title, and section sometimes remain static even as the regulations update, so the year helps users understand that we are using the most recent version.

As regulation sets mature, it's common for agencies to update them less frequently. Some county ordinances in Colorado, for example, have not changed at all for several years. In these cases, it may seem like our content is out-of-date when in fact it is current with the most recently published set of regulations. If you're unsure, please reach out to [e-mail] and we will confirm the publication date for you.

Sample Citations

Now we can put these four pieces together to build a citation.

State Citation Examples

• From the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division: CCR 212-1 M 1501(F)(1)(a) (2018)  
• From the California Department of Food and Agriculture: CCR 3-8-1 8000(a) (2018)
• From Nevada: NAC 453.450(1) (2018)

Local Citation Examples

• From Lake County Zoning Code (CA): LCZC 21.27.13(at)(5)(viii)(b)(a)(6)(iv)(c) (2018)
• From the Boulder Municipal Code (CO): BMC 6-16-8(p) (2018)
• From the Long Beach Municipal Code (CA): LBMC 5.90.140 (2018)

Using Citations

Here are some examples of the way citations can be helpful.

1. The user wants to know that there is actually a regulation behind the content in our system (whether it's a question in an audit, an SOP template, a document type in Smart Cabinet, or a labeling checklist).
2. In the case of audit content, the user wants to know whether the question is coming from a state or local regulation.
3. The user wants to know whether the content is based on the most recent set of regulations.
4. The user wants to look up the regulation being sourced and confirm the requirement.

If you have any questions regarding the citation format or cannot locate a citation reference, please contact [e-mail].