Denver, CO Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 1,000 feet
- Protected uses
- schools, child care, other stores, treatment facilities
- Measured from
- parcel line to nearest building wall
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Excise and Licenses
- Exception
- co-located stores under common ownership
Summary
Denver bars new marijuana store licenses within 1,000 feet of any school, child care establishment, other marijuana store, or alcohol/drug treatment facility, measured in a straight line between the nearest building and parcel lines.
No medical or retail marijuana store license shall be issued if the proposed location is within one thousand (1,000) feet of one (1) or more of the following locations:(1)Any school, with the distance computed by direct measurement in a straight line from the nearest legal parcel line of the land used for the school to the nearest external portion of the building in which the marijuana store is proposed to be located.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 147 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
The Denver Department of Excise and Licenses will not issue a medical or retail marijuana store license within 1,000 feet of a school, child care establishment, another marijuana store, or an alcohol or drug treatment facility. Distance to schools and child care runs from the nearest parcel line of that use to the nearest building wall of the proposed store; distance to another store or a treatment facility runs building-to-building. The buffer doesn't apply when a retail store proposes to co-locate with a medical store under common ownership that's operated continuously at the same address.
Violations & Fines
Operating within the buffer without a license is unlawful under DRMC § 6-224; the director denies, suspends, or revokes licenses for violations, with civil penalties matching state Marijuana Enforcement Division fine levels under § 6-225(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a dispensary open near a Denver school?
Does the buffer apply to marijuana hospitality lounges too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Denver
Compare Denver to another location·View the Colorado cannabis regulations overview
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