Citrus County, FL Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 500 feet from school property
- Protected use
- Public or private elementary, middle, secondary schools
- Governing chapter
- LDC Chapter Three, Use Standards
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Citrus County only
- Excludes
- City of Crystal River, City of Inverness
Summary
In unincorporated Citrus County, a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center cannot locate within 500 feet of the real property of a public or private elementary, middle, or secondary school under the Land Development Code.
3765. MEDICAL MARIJUANA TREATMENT CENTERS
A Medical Marijuana Treatment Center may not be located within 500 feet of the real property that comprises a public or private elementary school, middle school, or secondary school.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 76).
Full Breakdown
Citrus County's Land Development Code sets a dedicated proximity rule for Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers at LDC § 3765, found in Chapter Three, Use Standards. The rule is short and specific: a treatment center cannot be sited within 500 feet of the real property comprising a public or private elementary, middle, or secondary school. The LDC defines Medical Marijuana Treatment Center as a Florida-licensed facility (LDC definitions, Chapter One) and lists it as an allowed or conditional use across several zoning district use tables in Chapter Three, meaning the buffer applies on top of whatever underlying zoning permission the site already carries.
This is a separate, narrower rule than the county's alcoholic beverage buffer in the immediately preceding LDC § 3760, which restricts package and on-premise alcohol sales near schools, churches, hospitals, and public parks, no park distance appears in § 3765 itself. This provision governs only unincorporated Citrus County. It does not apply inside the City of Crystal River or the City of Inverness, each of which administers its own zoning and land development regulations for treatment center siting. A prospective operator must confirm which jurisdiction a parcel sits in before relying on the county's 500-foot standard, and must also confirm state licensure requirements under Florida's medical marijuana statutes, which operate independently of this local siting rule.
Violations & Fines
Siting or operating a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center within the 500-foot school buffer without a variance or code-compliant relocation is a Land Development Code violation, enforceable through Citrus County Code Enforcement (Chapter 19) via citation, notice of violation, and referral to the Code Enforcement Board, which can impose fines and order the use discontinued until the site is brought into compliance or relocated outside the buffer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a medical marijuana dispensary be from a school in Citrus County?
Does the Citrus County buffer also cover parks or churches?
Does this rule apply inside Crystal River or Inverness?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Citrus County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Citrus County to another location·View the Florida cannabis regulations overview
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