Excitement builds for CT sales of recreational marijuana. Here’s what you need to know about finding a parking space.

As seven recreational marijuana dispensaries open in Connecticut on Tuesday, long lines are expected and parking spaces will be at a premium, according to spokesmen for the facilities.

All seven dispensaries are hybrids, serving both medical and recreational customers. They will open first for medical clients at 9 a.m. and for recreational customers at 10, following rules set by the state Department of Consumer Protection.

Fine Fettle Dispensary will open recreational cannabis sales Tuesday at three of its locations: Newington, Willimantic and Stamford.

Ben Zachs, Fine Fettle’s chief operating officer, said the company, which is based in Connecticut, has consulted with local traffic authorities about its opening day plans in each location. The dispensary also has hired LAZ Parking to manage the parking lots.

Zachs said he expects some lines outside Fine Fettle shops Tuesday, but he also hopes some of the crunch is alleviated by a system of reservations and appointments the company is asking patrons to use. The system was rolled out Monday.

“We think we’re able to mitigate some of the line issues because people will come in like it’s a restaurant reservation rather than just like everyone piling in at once,” Zach said.

Zachs said walk-ups will be accommodated with patrons placing orders and then returning for pick-up in an available time slot. The shop is, however, leaving a few early appointments open for people who camp out.

“We think there’s a cultural element, that being someone who wants to be first in line,” Zachs said. “So that they can have their picture in the newspaper or whatever it might be for being the first [recreational] cannabis sale in the state of Connecticut, which is a pretty cool, exciting event.”

Fine Fettle is preparing for a lot of demand, with between eight and 11 check-out registers at each of the three locations, which he considers “overstaffed” but necessary for the first day of sales.

“We’re preparing for a lot of demand but we don’t actually know what the demand is going to be,” Zachs said. “I think Mike Tyson said it best. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. So, we’re trying to plan out for all the punches.”

The celebratory atmosphere will be enhanced by ribbon cuttings, swag bags and, at RISE in Branford (formerly Bluepoint Wellness), a steel drum band, according to Rosie Mattio, spokeswoman for RISE owner Green Thumb Industries, which owns 77 dispensaries across the country.

“We’re anticipating a pretty celebratory morning,” she said.

Mattio said in addition to RISE’s parking lot at 471 E. Main St. customers can park at All Pets Club across Business Park Drive from the dispensary. Louis Gonzalez, general manager of All Pets Club, said RISE’s customers are limited to one area, though: “Not the middle parking or to the right. Just the left corner.”

Steve Mazeika, spokesman for Verano, which owns Zen Leaf Meriden, said, “parking at our dispensary is, of course, not unlimited,” but there is spillover parking next door at the former Gary’s Glass store, a former head shop.

“We’re hoping that we can accommodate as many people as possible and that’s all we can do,” Mazeika said.

“We’ve been talking with the local Meriden police about traffic management and security and we’ll be working cooperatively with them throughout the day just to make sure that everything’s safe and as smooth as possible,” he said.

Ray Pantalena of Affinity Health & Wellness in New Haven said police will be on hand to direct traffic on busy Whalley Avenue. He said he has 30 parking spaces. “I wish I had 200,” he said.

The seventh location that will open Tuesday is the Botanist in Montville. A request was made to speak to a spokesman. Two other stores that were given the go-ahead to open Tuesday will open at later dates.

“This industry is going to create more than 10,000 jobs over the next couple of years, and hundreds of millions in new revenue that will be reinvested in the communities most hard hit by the war on drugs,” said Adam Wood, president of the Connecticut Cannabis Chamber of Commerce in a Monday release.

“Today is historic, but the real story is about the benefits to come that will transform lives and communities,” he said.

While medical customers can buy up to 5 ounces of cannabis, or its equivalent, per month, adult-use customers will be limited to a quarter ounce per transaction. There is no enforced limit on the number of transactions a person can make, however.

Each store has been retrofitted with separate cash registers to accommodate recreational sales while not interfering with medical marijuana customers.

Revenue from fees and taxes from cannabis sales are to be invested in those communities and future dispensaries will be operated by social equity partners who come from those areas.

“The economic opportunity being unlocked today is historic on a statewide level,” said Dan Glissman, co-founder of the cannabis chamber. “While there are still regulatory questions to be worked out, the work done to bring this day to fruition is remarkable.”

Ed Stannard can be reached at estannard@courant.com. Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.