The Facility Document Checklist

1. Proof of Premises Control

You must demonstrate that you actually have the right to use the location you’re proposing—through a deed, lease, or option agreement. The OCR wants to see that your site is real and secured, not hypothetical. This is foundational: nearly every other facility document builds on the address you commit to here.

Tip: Confirm your parcel’s zoning before you sign anything. The OCR has been developing a zoning map identifying eligible parcels (including A1, A2, R1, and R2 zones for certain uses). A lease on an ineligible parcel is wasted money.

2. A Detailed Premises Diagram

This is one of the most scrutinized documents in the application. Your premises diagram must clearly show:

• The full boundaries of the licensed premises
• Entry and exit points
• Restricted-access areas (where cannabis is stored, cultivated, or processed)
• Security camera placement and coverage
• Interior room layout and the flow of product through the space

A hand-sketched diagram signals an unprepared applicant. A professionally drafted diagram signals an operator who will pass inspection.

3. Site Plan

Your site plan places your facility in its real-world context. It should demonstrate:

• Compliance with required setbacks from schools, houses of worship, and other protected locations
• Parking, access, and traffic flow
• Property boundaries and adjacent land uses
• Security perimeter and site-level access control

Because reported setback distances have varied across sources and license types, your site plan should be measured against the OCR’s current approved rules for your specific license and island—not a rule of thumb borrowed from another jurisdiction.

4. Floor Plan

The floor plan is where compliance meets operations. A strong cannabis floor plan does more than show walls—it demonstrates a logical, secure, and efficient workflow:

• Separation of public, staff, and restricted areas
• Secure storage and vault locations
• For dispensaries: retail floor, private consultation areas, and point-of-sale placement
• For cultivation: grow rooms, curing, drying, and processing zones with appropriate environmental controls
• For manufacturing: extraction, processing, packaging, and labeling areas

The best floor plans also integrate MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) considerations from the start, so the facility you draw is the facility you can actually build and operate in the territory’s tropical climate.

5. Security Plan

Security is mandatory and heavily weighted. Your design must incorporate:

• 24/7 video surveillance with documented camera coverage
• Intrusion detection and alarm systems
• Secure, restricted-access zones with controlled entry
• Secure storage for cannabis and cash
• Protocols and physical design that prevent diversion and unauthorized access

The security plan and the premises diagram must agree with each other. Inconsistencies between them are an easy way to lose points—or trigger follow-up questions that eat into your timeline.

6. Digital Renderings (Strongly Recommended)

While not always strictly required, professional digital renderings help reviewers visualize your finished facility and signal that you’re a serious, well-capitalized operator. In a competitive, scored round, presentation matters. Renderings also help you and your investors align on the final design before construction begins.

7. Supporting Documentation That Ties to Your Facility

Several non-drawing documents connect directly to your facility plans and should be consistent with them:

• Financial plan / source of funds: your build-out budget should match the scope shown in your designs
• Startup timeline: cultivation licensees, for example, must begin cultivation within six months of licensure, so your timeline must show a realistic path from build-out to operation
• Operational plan: workflows described in writing should match the spaces drawn in your floor plan

Don’t Forget the Non-Facility Requirements

The facility package is our focus, but your overall application also requires items like fingerprinting and background checks, business formation documents, and proof that at least 51% of the license-holding entity is owned by qualifying Virgin Islands residents. Confirm the full, current requirement list directly with the OCR before submitting.

Why the Facility Documents Are Where Applications Are Won or Lost

Two applicants can have equal funding and equal intentions. The one whose site plan, floor plan, premises diagram, and security plan are complete, internally consistent, and demonstrably compliant will score higher—and will move through inspection faster after a conditional license is awarded. In a capped, merit-based round, those points are the difference between a license and a refund.

There’s also a timing reality: these documents take time to produce well, and every applicant is racing the same September 15, 2026 deadline. Waiting until the final weeks to commission facility drawings is how strong operators end up submitting weak packages.

How Studio Bliss Helps

Studio Bliss designs cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, and dispensary facilities built to pass regulatory review and operate efficiently. For USVI applicants, we produce the full facility documentation set—site plans, floor plans, premises diagrams, distance maps, security plans, and digital renderings—designed to align with OCR requirements and the realities of building in the Caribbean.

With the application window closing September 15, 2026, the time to start is now.