Wayne County municipalities commonly require dispensaries to sit at least 500 to 1,000 feet from schools, parks, churches, and other dispensaries, with each city setting its own buffer distances.
Under MRTMA (MCL 333.27959), municipalities may impose reasonable land-use buffers between licensed cannabis establishments and sensitive uses such as schools, parks, daycare facilities, and religious institutions. Wayne County cities have adopted buffers ranging from 500 feet to 1,000 feet, with Detroit's adult-use ordinance using a 1,000-foot school buffer that aligns with the state-default Drug-Free School Zone. Buffer measurement methods vary, sometimes property line to property line, sometimes door to door, and zoning staff calculate distances during application review. Cluster limits also restrict how close two dispensaries can sit to one another. Existing medical caregiver homes are not affected.
Locating within prohibited buffers, falsifying distance measurements, or expanding into a protected zone can result in license denial, revocation, and zoning enforcement.
See how Dearborn's buffer zones rules stack up against other locations.
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