What Is the Quick Answer?
Age verification at Terp Bros NYC requires a valid government-issued photo ID showing 21+ at both the Astoria shop (36-10 Ditmars Blvd) and the Ozone Park shop (135-26 Cross Bay Blvd). Accepted IDs include a US driver license, state ID card, US passport, US military ID, or permanent resident card. Expired IDs are not accepted, and the name must match the account for any delivery order.
Every customer gets ID-checked at the door, every time, no exceptions. It is a state law under license OCM-CAURD-23-000020 (Astoria) / OCM-CAURD-25-000294 (Ozone Park), and it applies whether you are 22 or 82. Bring the ID before you bring the cash.
What Is the Longer Story?
New York's adult-use cannabis program sets the minimum purchase age at 21, the same threshold as alcohol. Enforcement happens at the door through OCM-mandated ID checks at every licensed dispensary, and every CAURD license including OCM-CAURD-23-000020 (Astoria) / OCM-CAURD-25-000294 (Ozone Park) is audited for compliance. The Astoria shop on Ditmars and the Ozone Park shop on Cross Bay Blvd both follow identical ID protocols.
The shop ID check is not optional and not negotiable. We do not bend it for anyone. That is partly because state auditors will pull our license if we do, and partly because running a lawful retail operation is the entire reason Terp Bros exists. The founders, Al Cottone and Jeremy Rivera, built this business to be unambiguously legal, which means the door is the first compliance gate.
For context: this is the same rule at every licensed dispensary in New York, from Manhattan to Buffalo. If anyone tells you a spot will sell without ID, it is either not licensed or breaking state law, and in neither case should the product be trusted to be lab-tested.
What Is Our Detailed Answer?
The detailed ID rule at Terp Bros: we accept US driver licenses, state IDs, US passports, military IDs, and permanent resident cards. ID must be unexpired, show date of birth reflecting age 21+, and show a photo that matches the customer. For delivery, the name on the ID must match the name on the account. Every batch on the shelf is lab-tested under NY OCM standards, so the ID check is the last compliance step before a legal purchase.
Foreign passports are a gray area. We generally accept current passports from the EU, Canada, UK, Australia, Japan, and other countries where the document includes a clear photo and readable date of birth. We do not accept foreign driver licenses, because they are easier to forge and harder to verify. If you are visiting from out of the country, bring the passport.
Vertical IDs (the format issued to people under 21 in most states) are automatically rejected even if the holder has since turned 21. Order a horizontal ID before the shop visit. Paper temporary IDs are also rejected, because the format is too easy to fake.
What You Can Expect
Customers walking into either shop can expect an ID check at the door before they reach the counter, another quick visual match when the budtender rings up the sale, and a third verification at delivery handoff for any online order. We do not photocopy or store ID images beyond the basic transaction logging required by NY OCM under license OCM-CAURD-23-000020 (Astoria) / OCM-CAURD-25-000294 (Ozone Park).
A clean, welcoming retail space. Budtenders who ask what you actually want from the product. Prices posted openly on our menu. Receipts with license numbers. Delivery when you can't make it in.
What Are the Store Details?
Terp Bros NYC runs two Queens locations where ID is checked at every visit. Astoria at 36-10 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105, phone (929) 614-3591. Ozone Park at 135-26 Cross Bay Blvd, Ozone Park, NY 11417, phone (718) 308-3600. Hours are Monday through Sunday, 10am to 10pm at both locations. License OCM-CAURD-23-000020 (Astoria) / OCM-CAURD-25-000294 (Ozone Park) governs both shops.
Astoria: 36-10 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105, (929) 614-3591, Monday-Sunday, 10am to 10pm (age 21+, valid ID required) Ozone Park: 135-26 Cross Bay Blvd, Ozone Park, NY 11417, (718) 308-3600, Monday-Sunday, 10am to 10pm (age 21+, valid ID required) License: NY OCM License OCM-CAURD-23-000020 (Astoria) / OCM-CAURD-25-000294 (Ozone Park)
What Are Related Questions?
Queens shoppers most often ask about expired IDs (not accepted), foreign passports (accepted for most major countries), vertical IDs (not accepted), whether the cashier can accept a photo of an ID (no), and whether they can buy for a 21+ friend who forgot ID (no). The underlying rule is simple: every buyer presents matching valid 21+ ID in person at the transaction point.
Are you open on holidays? Yes, with adjusted hours. Check the homepage for current schedule.
Do you take cash only? We accept cash and debit. ATMs on site.
Can I call ahead? Yes, call either location for stock checks or product questions.
Do you deliver? Yes, Queens-wide from both shops.
Does my ID need to be from New York? No. Any US state ID or driver license works. Out-of-state is fine.
What if my ID is expired? Expired IDs are not accepted. No exceptions.
Can my friend buy for me if they are 21+? No. The person making the purchase must show matching ID.
Do you accept digital IDs on a phone? No. Physical IDs only. New York's Mobile ID is not yet accepted by the OCM at retail.
What First-Time Queens Shoppers Should Know About Age Verification
First-time Queens shoppers should bring a physical, unexpired, government-issued photo ID showing age 21+. Anyone under 21 will be refused, and there is no workaround. If you are visiting from out of state or out of country, bring the same document you would use to board a domestic flight or clear customs. The ID check happens at the door, not the counter, so do not wait until you are holding product.
Keep the ID handy. Both shops check at the entrance, and it slows the line when someone has to dig through a wallet or a backpack. The Astoria door gets especially busy during Friday and Saturday evenings when N/W riders come off the Ditmars-Steinway platform. The Ozone Park door is steady through the weekend with Cross Bay Blvd traffic.
If you lost your ID and are waiting on a replacement, delivery is not a workaround. The driver performs the same check at your door. Pickup is not a workaround either, for the same reason. Get the replacement ID issued, then come in or order. We do not have flexibility on this one.
How Age Verification Compares Across Queens Neighborhoods
Age verification is identical across every licensed dispensary in Queens, because the rule is state-level, not store-level. What changes is the foot traffic mix. Astoria and LIC customers skew younger (mid-20s to mid-30s) and often present NY state driver licenses. Ozone Park, Howard Beach, and Woodhaven skew a bit older with more state IDs and permanent resident cards. Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, and Corona see many foreign passports from the neighborhood's immigrant communities.
The N/W train brings in a lot of Astoria and Manhattan transplants who often present out-of-state licenses during their first year in New York. We accept those without issue as long as they are unexpired and horizontal format. The same goes for customers coming in from New Jersey, Connecticut, and Long Island visiting the Ozone Park shop via the Belt Parkway or the A train.
Rockaway, Far Rockaway, and Broad Channel customers most often order delivery because the trip into Ozone Park is longer than they want. Delivery ID verification is identical to in-store: the driver checks at the door, and the name must match the account.
What Budtenders Hear Most About Age Verification
Budtenders hear the same age-verification pushback on loop: "I left my ID in the car," "my wife has hers, can she buy for me," "can you just use my photo of my ID," "my ID expired last week but I'm still 21," and "the other place up the street let me in without one." The answer to every single one is no. The only path forward is a current, physical, matching 21+ government-issued ID.
"The other place up the street" is usually the tell that someone is shopping at an unlicensed storefront. Those shops do not check ID because they are not licensed, which also means their product is not tested, their packaging is not compliant, and the cash you hand over is not going into the legal market. We point customers toward the our story page and the public OCM license list when that conversation comes up.
"I left it in the car" is the easiest fix: go get it. We will hold your spot at the counter. "My wife has hers" does not work, because only the person making the purchase can transact. Delivery solves the no-car scenario; order from the menu and we will bring it to your door with the ID check built in.
Which ID Types Does NY OCM Accept at Terp Bros?
NY OCM rules require a current, unexpired, government-issued photo ID that shows date of birth and identifies the holder as age 21 or older. Accepted types include a US driver's license, a US state-issued non-driver ID card, a US passport or passport card, a US military ID, a tribal ID issued by a federally recognized nation, a permanent resident card, or an NYC IDNYC card that shows date of birth. International passports from any country are accepted as long as the ID is current.
Non-accepted documents include school IDs, work IDs, expired driver's licenses (even by one day), photos or scans of IDs on a phone, vertical-format under-21 licenses, and temporary paper licenses without a photo. The Astoria and Ozone Park door staff scan IDs at entry through a compliant ID verification device that reads the PDF417 barcode, confirms age, and flags expired or altered documents. Scanned data is not retained beyond the compliance check window required under state rules.
How Does ID Verification Work for Delivery?
Every Terp Bros delivery requires ID verification at the door. The driver matches the government-issued photo ID to the account name, confirms age 21 or older, inspects the ID for expiration and tampering, and only then hands off the product. Payment is cash, debit, or ACH through Dutchie Pay depending on current processor, and no credit cards due to federal banking rules. If the ID does not match or the customer is not present, the driver leaves without completing the drop and a re-delivery fee applies.
A second adult present at the door cannot receive the order in place of the account holder, even if they are over 21 with their own valid ID. NY OCM rules are strict on account-matching, and the driver is trained to decline the handoff rather than risk the license. For shoppers with mobility limits who cannot meet the driver at the door, calling either store in advance lets staff stage the delivery window so a caregiver can assist with the account-holder ID check while the customer is present. Full delivery rules sit on cannabis delivery.