Aurora, CO Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Retail store vs. schools
- 1,000 ft minimum
- Retail store vs. hospitals
- 500 ft minimum
- Cultivation/mfg vs. homes, parks
- 300 ft minimum
- Marijuana clubs, vapor lounges
- Prohibited citywide
- Governing instrument
- UDO, current through Feb. 23, 2026
Summary
Aurora bars retail marijuana stores within 1,000 feet of schools, 500 feet of hospitals, and cultivation or manufacturing facilities within 300 feet of homes and parks.
No retail marijuana store shall be licensed if located within 1,000 feet of a pre-K-12 public or private elementary, vocational, or secondary school. This distance shall be measured in a straight line from the nearest property boundary of the school property to the address point of the retail marijuana store.
b. Distance From Hospitals and Substance Abuse Treatment Center. No retail marijuana store shall be licensed if located within 500 feet of a hospital or substance abuse treatment center. This distance shall be measured from the nearest property boundary of the hospital or treatment center property to the address point of the retail marijuana store. For purposes of this Subsection, the terms “hospital” and “substance abuse treatment center” shall have the same meaning as set forth in Section 6-302 of the Aurora City Code.
4. Marijuana Cultivation Facility, Product Manufacturing Facility, Research Business, Testing Facility, or Marijuana Transporter Licensed Premises
a. No marijuana cultivation, product manufacturing facility, research business, testing facility, or marijuana transporter licensed premises, shall be permitted within 300 feet of an existing conforming residential use or any Residential or POS zone district, or any government-owned public park, recreation area, or open space. This distance shall be measured from the nearest property boundary of such use or district to the nearest property boundary of such facility.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-30, passed June 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under the Aurora Unified Development Ordinance, a retail marijuana store cannot be licensed within 1,000 feet of a pre-K-12 school or 500 feet of a hospital or substance abuse treatment center, measured from the nearest property boundary to the store's address point. Marijuana cultivation, product manufacturing, research, testing, or transporter facilities must stay 300 feet from an existing conforming residential use, any Residential or POS (Parks/Open Space) zone district, or any government-owned park or open space. Marijuana membership clubs, vapor lounges, off-premises storage, and outdoor cultivation are prohibited citywide. Nonconforming lots cannot be subdivided just to manufacture compliance with these distances.
Violations & Fines
Licensing denial or revocation by the City for any marijuana establishment sited inside the applicable buffer; no state-law override since Aurora regulates location under its home-rule land-use authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the school distance measured?
Can a homeowner sell a parcel to dodge the 300-ft cultivation buffer?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Aurora
Compare Aurora to another location·View the Colorado cannabis regulations overview
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