Brockton, MA Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Retailer-to-retailer buffer
- 500 feet
- Retailer-to-school buffer
- 500 feet, K-12 only
- Measurement method
- Straight line, property line to property line
- Partial-lot rule
- Entire lot counts if any part is inside buffer
- Enforcement
- Unannounced inspections, Building/Health/Fire/Police
Summary
Brockton bars a marijuana retail establishment from locating within 500 feet of another existing or permitted marijuana dispensary or recreational retail facility, and within 500 feet of any pre-existing K-12 public or private school, measured property line to property line.
f.Location (Buffer Zone): No Marijuana Retail Establishment shall be within:i.Five hundred (500) feet of another presently existing or permitted Marijuana Dispensary or Recreational Retail Facility; orii.Five hundred (500) feet of a pre-existing public or private school providing education in kindergarten or any of grades 1 through 12.iii.The distance under this section shall be measured in a straight line from the nearest point of the property line in question to the nearest point of the property line where the Marijuana Retail Establishment is or will be located. Where any portion of a lot is within a required separation, the entire lot shall be considered to be within the required separation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
4(6)(f) sets the buffer for Marijuana Retail Establishments at 500 feet from another presently existing or permitted marijuana dispensary or recreational retail facility, and 500 feet from a pre-existing public or private school serving kindergarten through grade 12. The distance is measured in a straight line from the nearest point of the property line where the retailer is or will be located to the nearest point of the school or competing retailer's property line, and if any portion of a lot falls inside the required separation, the entire lot is treated as within it, ruling out partial siting.
The buffer sits inside a broader operational package: retailers cannot co-locate on the same parcel or in the same building as a shop selling tobacco or marijuana paraphernalia such as a vape shop, and a medical dispensary and an adult-use retailer cannot operate simultaneously on the same lot or in the same building unless the medical dispensary was registered by July 1, 2017. m.
Violations & Fines
The City of Brockton, through its Building Department, Board of Health, Fire Department and Police Department, may conduct unannounced, unscheduled inspections of any marijuana establishment to check buffer and other zoning compliance under § 27-24.4(11). A retailer sited inside a 500-foot buffer cannot obtain the required special permit or site plan approval, and no building permit or certificate of occupancy will issue for an establishment that is not properly licensed and sited under this section.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the 500-foot marijuana retailer buffer measured in Brockton?
Does the school buffer cover future or private schools too?
Can a marijuana retailer share a building with a vape shop in Brockton?
What happens if only part of my lot falls inside the 500-foot buffer?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brockton
Compare Brockton to another location·View the Massachusetts cannabis regulations overview
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