Columbia Denial of application; appeal ordinance (§ 13-437)

(a) Denial. When a license under this article is denied, the business services administrator shall notify the applicant, in writing, of such denial. Such notification shall be hand delivered or sent by first class mail. A mailed letter shall be presumed received three (3) business days after it was mailed to the applicant at the address provided in the application.

(b) Appeal by applicant. The applicant may appeal the denial to the marijuana facility license review board by delivering a written notice of appeal to the director of finance with a copy to the business services administrator. The notice of appeal must be filed with the director no later than ten (10) business days after the applicant received the letter of denial. The applicant may submit to the director of finance a position statement explaining why applicant believes the license should be granted. The business services administrator may also submit to the director a position statement explaining why the administrator believes the denial should be upheld.

(c) Right to continue operation. If an application for renewal of a license is denied, an applicant who has filed an appeal under this section shall be allowed to continue operating as though the license were renewed until the marijuana facility license review board has rendered a decision. If the board affirms the denial of the license, the applicant shall be allowed to continue operating as though the license were renewed until ten (10) days after receiving the letter of denial.