Alachua County, FL Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed districts
- BR, BR-1, BH, BA, BA-1, HM only
- School buffer
- 500 ft, property line to property line
- Use classification
- Limited use, not by-right
- Enforcement
- Up to $1,000/day fine, Code Enforcement Ch. 24
- Governs
- Unincorporated county only, not Gainesville
Summary
Alachua County allows medical marijuana dispensaries only as a limited use in the BR, BR-1, BH, BA, BA-1, and HM zoning districts, and County Code § 404.45(a) requires every dispensary to sit at least 500 feet from any public or private school, measured property line to property line. This governs unincorporated county land only, not Gainesville or the county's eight other municipalities.
Medical marijuana dispensaries...are allowed as limited uses in the BR, BR-1, BH, BA, BA-1, and HM districts, subject to the following standards. (a)Separation requirements for medical marijuana dispensaries.(1)Generally. Medical marijuana dispensaries shall be permitted only in those zoning districts in which a medical marijuana dispensary is listed as a limited use in this Chapter. Minimum Separation Standards for Medical Marijuana Dispensaries — Existing Use or District: School, public or private — 500 ft. (2)Measurement. Measurements shall be made from the nearest property line of the use that is not a medical marijuana dispensary to the nearest property line of the medical marijuana dispensary.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
45 of the Alachua County Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) treats a medical marijuana dispensary as a limited use rather than a use permitted outright, confining it to six commercial and health-related districts: BR, BR-1, BH, BA, BA-1, and HM. ' The separation table in Subsection (a) sets a single hard number: a minimum of 500 feet from any public or private school. Subsection (a)(2) fixes how that distance is measured, 'from the nearest property line of the use that is not a medical marijuana dispensary to the nearest property line of the medical marijuana dispensary', and if the dispensary sits in a multi-tenant building, the measurement runs to the nearest line of the leasehold space the dispensary actually occupies, not the whole building's property line.
The ordinance was originally adopted by Ord. No. 2016-15 in August 2016 and last amended by Ord. No. 2020-25 in November 2020. Because this is a zoning-code standard rather than a state licensing rule, it sits on top of, and is separate from, the Florida Department of Health's Office of Medical Marijuana Use dispensing-facility permit that every operator must also hold. 45.
Violations & Fines
A dispensary sited without the required 500-foot school separation, or operating in a district where dispensaries are not a listed limited use, is a zoning violation under the ULDC. Alachua County Code Enforcement processes such violations under Chapter 24; a special magistrate can order compliance and, per § 24.22(g)(1)b, impose a fine of up to $1,000 per day for a first violation and up to $5,000 per day for a repeat violation, recorded as a lien against the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a medical marijuana dispensary open anywhere in unincorporated Alachua County?
How is the 500-foot school buffer measured?
Does the county buffer apply inside Gainesville or the City of Alachua?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alachua County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Alachua County to another location·View the Florida cannabis regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.