Cannabis Regulations in Long Beach, CA

Long Beach maintains 185 local ordinances across all categories, and 4 of those deal specifically with cannabis regulations. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Long Beach falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Personal Cultivation Limits

California Proposition 64 lets adults 21 and older grow up to six cannabis plants per residence for personal use. Long Beach requires indoor cultivation only, with security and odor controls, and bans outdoor home cultivation citywide.

Key details: Plant limit: Six per residence. State law: HSC 11362.2. Outdoor allowed: No. Adult age: 21 and older.

Outdoor cultivation, growing more than six plants, or producing detectable odor at the property line can result in administrative citations, plant abatement, and in commercial-scale cases criminal charges under state law.

Buffer Zones

Long Beach prohibits cannabis retail, manufacturing, and cultivation businesses from operating within 600 feet of K-12 schools, daycares, parks, libraries, and other licensed cannabis businesses, measured property line to property line.

Key details: Buffer distance: 600 feet. Code section: LBMC 5.90.030. Measurement: Property line. State minimum: BPC 26054.

Operating a cannabis business inside a buffer zone results in license denial, mandatory closure, fines up to thirty thousand dollars per day under LBMC Chapter 5.90, and potential injunction by the City Attorney.

Dispensary Zoning

Long Beach allows an adult-use cannabis dispensary by right in eight of its nine commercial districts under Table 32-1: CNP, CNA, CNR, CCA, CCP, CCR, CCN and CHW. The Commercial Storage (CS) district bans the use. Zoning is only the first gate, because every dispensary must also satisfy the permit and location rules of Chapter 5.92 of the Municipal Code.

Key details: Zoning status: Permitted by right (Y) in CNP, CNA, CNR, CCA, CCP, CCR, CCN, CHW. Prohibited district: Commercial Storage (CS), shown as N in Table 32-1. School, day care, library buffer: 600 feet; also playgrounds and community centers. Spacing between dispensaries: 1,000 feet from any other dispensary. Delivery-only over 750 sq. ft.: Conditional use (C*), second floor and above in most districts.

A dispensary in the CS district, or any use the tables do not list, is prohibited under Section 21.32.120. Violating Chapter 5.92 is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both (Section 5.92.1560). The City can also issue administrative citations under Chapter 9.65 with fines set by City Council resolution, and everyone responsible for the violation is jointly and severally liable for the penalty (Section 5.92.1565). The City can also suspend or revoke the cannabis permit under Section 5.92.1540.

This is one of the stricter rules in Long Beach's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Home Cultivation

Adults 21+ may cultivate up to 6 cannabis plants per household for personal use under LBMC §5.92.520 and CA Prop 64. Plants must be in a locked, enclosed space not visible from public areas.

Key details: Plant Limit: 6 per household. Age Requirement: 21+. Visibility: Not visible from public areas. Code: LBMC §5.92.520, CA Prop 64.

Exceeding plant limits: citation and removal. Outdoor visibility: code enforcement. Volatile extraction: criminal charges.

The rules around home cultivation in Long Beach lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

The Bottom Line

Long Beach's cannabis regulations rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Long Beach is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Long Beach can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, which shows when its source was last checked.