IS IT LEGAL TO GROW HEMP IN THE UNITED STATES?

The 2018 Farm Bill legalized the production of hemp under certain restrictions. Hemp is a variety of the 

Cannabis sativa L. plant species. The law states that hemp must contain no more than 0.3% 

tetrahydrocannabinol concentration (THC), the psychoactive component found in marijuana. These 

requirements were further detailed in 7 CFR 990 Establishment of a Domestic Hemp Production Program.

WHAT IS A HEMP LICENSE?

A hemp license is an authorization to legally produce hemp. It is granted by either the USDA or by a State 

or Tribal government. 

HOW IS HEMP PRODUCTION TIED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT?

The USDA is legally required to provide law enforcement “real-time” information about who is growing 

hemp and the status of their license. USDA must also make information available to law enforcement 

regarding the location, amount, and intended use of the hemp being grown.

ABOUT HEMP LICENSING:

WHY MIGHT I USE THE HEMP LAW 

ENFORCEMENT SEARCH TOOL?

Law enforcement officials can use the tool to search for 

information about who is growing hemp, where it's being 

grown, and whether the grower’s license is in good 

standing with the regulatory body that issued the license. 

Officials can search by a variety of criteria such as a 

producer’s name, growing state, and growing county. The 

tool will return a list of licenses that meet the search 

criteria. You will also have the option to view these 

growing locations on a map.

ABOUT THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SEARCH TOOL:

HEMP LAW ENFORCEMENT SEARCH TOOL

Per federal law, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will offer law 

enforcement a tool to search for information about hemp producers for use in 

monitoring, compliance, and investigatory purposes. 

WANT MORE INFORMATION?

Contact the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program at 888-721-4367or farmbill@.hemp@usda.gov. 
STEP 1: REQUEST ACCESS TO THE TOOL

To request access to the tool, email farmbill.hemp@usda.gov with your name, contact information, and 

law enforcement department details. Please note that an individual request must be made by everyone 

in your department that would like access to the tool. 

ACCESING THE SEARCH TOOL:

STEP 3: USE THE INVITATION TO LOG IN

Once the USDA has approved your request, you will receive an email invitation to use the tool. Click on 

the link in the email to log in using your eAuth credentials obtained in Step 2.

USING THE SEARCH TOOL:

2. REVIEW RESULTS

Based on the query and the available data, the 

tool will return a list of licenses matching the 

search criteria. It will provide licensee 

information such as the licensee’s name, license 

status, and issue and expiration dates. 

3. MAPPING RESULTS

Along with a list of licenses matching the search 

criteria, the official will have an option to view the 

growing location(s) on a map. These locations, or 

“Lots”, will appear as pins on a map, as shown 

below.

1. SEARCH

Once in the tool, officials may search for hemp 

information using a variety of criteria such as 

producer name, growing state, growing county, 

license number, phone number, etc. The tool is 

flexible and allows the user to search by one 

(e.g., Growing State is “California”) or multiple 

criteria (e.g., Growing State is “California” and 

Producer Name is “John Doe”). 

STEP 2: OBTAIN A LOGIN.GOV ACCOUNT

Login.gov is a sign in service used to securely access the search tool. To create an account visit 

https://login.gov/create-an-account/.

When you’re ready to create your secure Login.gov account, you’ll need to provide a few pieces 

of information:

• Email address

• Secure password

• In addition to your password, Login.gov requires that you set up at least one authentication method 

to keep your account secure. This is multifactor authentication (MFA). 

• Face or touch unlock

• Security key

• Authentication application

• Federal government employee or military identification (PIV/CAC)

• Text/voice message

• Backup codes

WANT MORE INFORMATION?

Contact the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program at 888-721-4367 or farmbill@.hemp@usda.gov.