Approximately 450 medical marijuana dispensaries have submitted renewal applications this year for business tax registration certificates, according to a report issued by the Los Angeles Office of Finance.

The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office views the number as progress in the fight against illegal dispensaries, as more than 1,100 dispensaries were registered to pay taxes in 2013. Since then, a number of dispensaries have closed, and the 450 number may be closer to the actual current number of dispensaries operating in the city, authorities said.

A spokesman for the city attorney’s office said the office anticipated that the number of dispensaries renewing tax certificates in 2014 would have been much higher. It is unknown exactly how many dispensaries are operating in the city.

“These new numbers are another indication of the progress we are making in upholding the will of the voters by enforcing Prop. D and reducing the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles,” City Attorney Mike Feuer said.

The number of dispensaries applying for business tax renewals is, however, higher than the approximately 135 dispensaries that are allowed to operate under Prop. D, which was approved by voters last year and provides immunity to dispensaries registered prior to a 2007 moratorium. Prop. D stipulates that the dispensaries that are allowed to stay open must be located 1,000 feet away from schools and 600 feet away from sensitive uses such as community centers, parks, libraries and other locations.

Feuer recently announced that more than 100 illegal dispensaries have been shut down since Prop. D was enacted last year, and he vowed to crack down on the outlets that are continuing to operate in violation of the law.

More than 300 lawsuits have been filed against dispensary operators since Feuer took office last year.

The city attorney intends to pursue property owners who allow illegal dispensaries to operate in their buildings. The operators and property owners could potentially face jail time and steep fines if they are found to be in violation of Prop. D. Representatives of the city attorney’s office stressed that a tax registration certificate is not a license to operate in the city.

The Los Angeles Police Department is also partnering with the city attorney’s office in determining the number of illegal dispensaries currently operating.

LAPD chief Charlie Beck recently announced that the department’s 360 senior lead officers would be cataloging the locations of dispensaries in each police division, and would be responsible for logging complaints from citizens about illegal medical marijuana outlets.