Which States Use METRC in 2026? A Verified List

Quick answer

As of August 2, 2026, accessible official METRC partner material names 28 jurisdictions: 25 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. METRC’s partner page separately says it serves 30 markets. Those are not equivalent counts. The accessible official material does not identify the other two markets, so this list does not guess at them.[1][2]

This is a dated reference for commercial operators, not a legal determination. An official METRC partnership means a government or regulatory program uses METRC for the license categories identified by that jurisdiction. It does not mean every business, product category, or cultivation activity there uses the system.

Coverage is license-specific. A jurisdiction can use METRC for regulated marijuana while hemp, tribal, research, caregiver, legacy-inventory, or other license categories follow a different system, rule, or exemption.

For a plain-English explanation of what the system does, see What Is METRC?. This page answers a narrower question: where the official material identifies a METRC partnership as of the date above.

The 28 named jurisdictions in official METRC material

Four items to check before relying on a state label

Illinois: BioTrack transition completed in 2025

Illinois agencies announced METRC as the official cannabis inventory tracking system in 2025 and published migration guidance for BioTrack-tagged inventory.[3] That makes Illinois a current METRC jurisdiction, but an operator handling historical inventory or a specific license category should still follow the state’s current transfer and tag instructions rather than treating a general transition date as universal.

For the system-level differences and a practical cutover checklist, see BioTrack vs METRC.

New York: current system, active migration details

New York’s Office of Cannabis Management says licensees must use an electronic system capable of integrating with the New York Seed-to-Sale Tracking System, METRC.[4] OCM’s migration material included a January 12, 2026 deadline for retailers to enter existing inventory. Older BioTrack material remains linked in some state resources, so operators should use the current OCM seed-to-sale page and FAQs for their license type, inventory status, and cutover requirements.

Virginia: the documented scope is medical pharmaceutical processors

Virginia’s Cannabis Control Authority announced that METRC would launch for medical cannabis pharmaceutical processors in summer 2025.[5] That is strong evidence for that program scope. It is not evidence that METRC covers hemp, every medical license category, or an adult-use program. Check the CCA’s newest notice before setting a facility-wide workflow.

Minnesota: verify live implementation details

Minnesota appears on METRC’s current partner material, but the operational question is more specific than the listing: which license category is involved, when does the applicable instruction take effect, and what does OCM currently require?[1] Use Minnesota OCM’s current licensee guidance before purchasing tags, changing inventory processes, or planning an integration.

What a METRC partnership does, and does not, tell an operator

A partner listing is useful for identifying the regulator’s traceability platform. It is not enough to answer all of these facility questions:

• Does this requirement apply to my exact cultivation, processor, transporter, laboratory, or retail license?
• Does it apply to a caregiver, research, tribal, or legacy inventory program?
• Is hemp handled by the same program, a separate state program, or neither?
• What tags, event reporting, transfers, reconciliations, and cutover dates apply now?
• Is a third-party software connection currently validated for the workflow we intend to use?

Hemp needs particular care. METRC partner pages generally address regulated marijuana or cannabis licensees. They are not a blanket finding that hemp growers, CBD businesses, or hemp processors must use METRC. Tribal programs can also operate under separate arrangements. The same caution applies to caregivers, research licenses, and narrowly defined medical programs.

The practical move is to check the regulator’s live instructions for the exact license before changing an SOP. Keep a record of the page checked, the date, the license class, and the staff member responsible for the workflow. During a system migration, document legacy inventory handling and every state deadline separately.

Compliance traceability is not cultivation operations

METRC records regulated inventory and events for the state. It does not replace the work of running a facility: planning rooms, assigning work, tracking maintenance, responding to sensor alerts, and learning what changed between runs. For a deeper look at that distinction, read METRC Is for the State. Growgoyle Is for You..

METRC tracks your grow for the state. Growgoyle tracks it for you.

Growgoyle does not manage, integrate with, or oversee METRC. It can schedule and assign compliance checks, then preserve notes attached to that work so the team has a clearer operating record. The state system remains the system the licensee must answer to.

That boundary matters when evaluating a broader software stack. Cannabis Cultivation Software in 2026: What Each System Actually Does separates compliance traceability from environmental monitoring, equipment control, team execution, and operational analysis. Each job deserves a clear owner.

FAQs

Does every license type in a METRC jurisdiction use METRC?

No. The answer depends on the regulator’s instructions for the exact license type and program. A partner page is not proof of coverage for every cultivation, processor, laboratory, transporter, caregiver, research, tribal, or hemp activity.

Does METRC include hemp?

Do not assume so. The official partner material generally addresses regulated marijuana or cannabis programs. Confirm hemp obligations directly with the applicable state agriculture, cannabis, or other regulator.

Are tribal programs included in this list?

Not necessarily. Tribal programs can operate separately from a state program. Contact the relevant tribal regulator or program authority for the applicable tracking requirements.

What should a facility do during a BioTrack-to-METRC migration?

Use the regulator’s current migration guidance for the facility’s license class. Confirm tag conversion, legacy inventory, external transfers, required data entry, staff training, and every deadline. Illinois and New York are current examples where dated transition instructions matter.[3][4]

Does using METRC mean a facility does not need operations software?

No. METRC is the compliance traceability system. It does not replace room planning, team tasks, maintenance schedules, environmental workflow, or batch-to-batch operational learning.

References

1. METRC, State & Regional Cannabis Track-and-Trace Partners, accessed August 2, 2026.
2. METRC, Bulletin Archive, accessed August 2, 2026.
3. Illinois Department of Agriculture and Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office, METRC Seed-to-Sale Solution and Seed-to-Sale Tracking, accessed August 2, 2026.
4. New York Office of Cannabis Management, Seed-to-Sale and Seed-to-Sale FAQs, accessed August 2, 2026.
5. Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, METRC Chosen for New Seed-to-Sale Tracking System, accessed August 2, 2026.