Chico, CA Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 100 feet from schools, day care, youth centers
- Applies to
- Testing labs, manufacturers, distributors, delivery retailers
- Measurement
- Property line to property line, straight line
- Citywide ban
- Cultivation and microbusinesses prohibited everywhere
Summary
Chico requires most commercial cannabis businesses, testing labs, manufacturers, distributors, and delivery-only retailers, to locate at least 100 feet from any K-12 school, day care center, or youth center within city limits.
B. Distance Limitations: 1. The following distance limitations apply to commercial cannabis business types: a. Testing laboratory: 100 feet from a school providing instruction in kindergarten or any grades 1 through 12, a day care center, or a youth center;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Supplement contains local legislation current through: Codified Resolution No. 53-26, adopted 7-14-26 and Ordinance No. 2622, adopted 6-2-26).
Full Breakdown
Under Chico Municipal Code § 19.75.120(B)(1), commercial cannabis testing laboratories, manufacturers, distributors, and delivery-only retailers must each be located at least 100 feet from any school serving kindergarten through grade 12, a day care center, or a youth center. Distance is measured horizontally, property line to property line, without regard to intervening structures, and only sensitive receptors that existed when the city received the permit application count. Retailer-storefront shops face a much larger buffer. Outdoor cultivation and commercial cultivation/microbusiness uses are banned citywide, so this buffer applies only to the permitted business types.
Violations & Fines
Operating a commercial cannabis business within the required buffer, or without a Commercial Cannabis Permit, is a public nuisance under Chapter 19.75, enforceable by civil penalties, nuisance abatement, or administrative citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 100-foot buffer apply to cannabis dispensaries in Chico?
Can a cannabis business open near a park in Chico?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chico
California rules heatmap·Compare Chico to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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