St. Charles County, MO Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 1,000 feet
- Protected uses
- Churches, schools, residential zones
- Ag exception
- Only if parcel has a residence
- Measurement
- Shortest straight-line path
- Violation penalty
- Up to $1,000/day, misdemeanor
Summary
St. Charles County keeps medical marijuana facilities a minimum of 1,000 feet from churches, schools, residential zoning districts, and agriculturally-zoned parcels that have a house on them. Code § 405.5072(B) sets the buffer, and § 405.5072(D) spells out exactly how that distance is measured for both freestanding buildings and facilities inside a larger structure like a strip mall.
B. A Facility shall not be operated within one thousand (1,000) feet, as measured by Subsection (D), of the following: 1. A church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or building which is used for religious worship and/or related religious activities; 2. A public or private educational facility, including but not limited to child day-care facilities, nursery schools, preschools, kindergartens, elementary schools, private schools, intermediate schools, junior high schools, middle schools, high schools, vocational schools, secondary schools, continuation schools, special education schools, junior colleges, and universities; and the grounds upon which any educational facility is located; 3. Any residential zoning district as defined in the Unified Development Ordinance; or 4. The property line of a parcel of land zoned "A" Agricultural District and containing a residence.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4863880; v61 updated 2026-05-11; through 05-11-2026).
Full Breakdown
5072(B) protects four categories of use with the 1,000-foot buffer: houses of worship of any faith, the full range of public and private schools from day cares through universities, any residential zoning district, and agriculturally-zoned parcels that have a residence on them (a vacant Ag parcel doesn't trigger the buffer). Subsection (D) fixes how that distance is measured, because 1,000 feet can mean different things depending on the site: for a standalone facility, the distance runs from the facility itself to the nearest point on the protected property's boundary; for a facility that occupies space inside a larger building, such as an office building or strip mall, the measurement instead runs from the protected property's boundary to the facility's own entrance or exit closest to that boundary.
Either way, the shortest straight-line path controls, not a route along streets or sidewalks. 510's ban on drive-through or mobile operation. 5071 by reference to State law to cover cultivation, dispensary, infused-product manufacturing, testing, and transportation operations, so the buffer applies uniformly across the whole medical marijuana supply chain, not just retail dispensaries.
Violations & Fines
Operating a Facility inside the buffer, or in a building with a residential unit, violates Article X of the UDO. Under § 405.5075(A), a violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 per day, with each day of continued violation a separate offense; the judge handling the case sets the specific fine and any other penalty. The Director of Community Development enforces the Article, with the County Counselor's office prosecuting under § 405.5076.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a marijuana dispensary be from a school in St. Charles County?
Does the 1,000-foot buffer apply to farmland?
How is the 1,000 feet actually measured for a dispensary inside a shopping center?
What happens if a facility opens inside the buffer anyway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Charles County
Compare St. Charles County to another location·View the Missouri cannabis regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.