Dakota County, MN Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)

Section 9, Subdivision 1 of Ordinance No. 133 sets the county's default buffer package for any cannabis retail business, but it only fills a gap: it applies "in the absence of a local city or township ordinance placing reasonable restrictions on the location" of a retailer, so a city with its own siting rule controls instead. Where the county default applies, no registration may issue within 1,000 feet of an existing school's boundary or within 1,000 feet of an existing cannabis retail business. The 500-foot buffers cover a licensed or legal non-licensed day care provider, a residential treatment facility, and a public park, including any playground, athletic field, athletic recreation center, or "Youth-Oriented Facility" (a term the ordinance defines broadly to include childcare providers, schools, playgrounds, recreation centers, and parks).

A grandfather clause tied to Minn. Stat. 367, subd. 14 protects an already-registered store if a school, day care, treatment facility, or park attraction later moves within the buffer, rather than forcing it out. Registrations are handled by the Dakota County Public Services and Revenue Department under Section 13, and the Department's Director can suspend a registration under Section 15 for noncompliance with any part of the ordinance, including a buffer violation, for up to 30 days pending an OCM response. Selling cannabis products without a valid registration, regardless of location, draws a separate civil penalty under Section 20.