Denver Revised Municipal Code section 6-205 requires every retail and medical marijuana dispensary to be at least 1000 feet from K-12 schools, child care, drug-treatment centers, and other dispensaries. Existing licenses may renew under grandfathering when buffers later changed.
DRMC 6-205 sets buffer zones for licensed marijuana businesses in Denver: stores cannot be within 1000 feet of public or private K-12 schools, alcohol or drug treatment facilities, child care establishments, residential daycares, or other licensed marijuana stores. The 1000-foot buffer is measured from property line to property line. Some buffer rules align with Colorado C.R.S. 44-10-303 statewide. Existing dispensaries lawfully licensed before a school or child care opened nearby may renew under grandfathering, but ownership transfers and relocations re-open buffer review by the Denver Department of Excise & Licenses. Cultivation and manufacturing facilities follow industrial buffer rules under DRMC 6 and DRMC 59 zoning.
Operating a marijuana store inside a DRMC 6-205 buffer without grandfathering violates DRMC chapter 6 with license denial, revocation, civil penalties, and possible cease-and-desist orders. Continuing operation after revocation can lead to nuisance closure.
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See how Denver's buffer zones rules stack up against other locations.
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