Bernalillo County, NM Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- School/day care buffer
- 300 feet
- Lounge/manufacturer residential buffer
- 300 feet
- Volatile-solvent manufacturing buffer
- 1,000 feet from residential zone
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county only
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 2021-31, Dec. 14, 2021
Summary
Unincorporated Bernalillo County requires cannabis retailers, lounges, couriers, and manufacturers to sit at least 300 feet from a school or day care, with some uses also needing 300 feet from residential zones.
d.Cannabis retail establishment in the C-1 and higher zones provided the licensed premises is located no less than 300 feet from a school or day care;e.Cannabis lounge in the C-1 and higher zones provided:1.The licensed premises is located no less than 300 feet from a school, day care, or conforming residential zone, and;...g.Cannabis manufacturer in the C-LI and higher zones provided the licensed premises is located no less than 300 feet from a school, day care, or conforming residential zone.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 92).
Full Breakdown
The county's 1973 zoning ordinance was amended in 2021 to add Section 22.4.20, Cannabis Regulations. It sets permissive-use buffers by activity: cultivation, couriers, retail establishments, and testing/research labs need 300 feet from a school or day care; lounges and manufacturers need 300 feet from a school, day care, or conforming residential zone; and manufacturing with volatile solvents needs 1,000 feet from any conforming residential zone. This applies only to unincorporated county land, not Albuquerque, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, or Tijeras, each of which regulates cannabis separately.
Violations & Fines
Operating a licensed cannabis establishment inside the buffer is a zoning violation under the ordinance's Section 26 penalty clause: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $300 fine, up to 90 days in county jail, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this buffer rule apply inside Albuquerque?
How far must a cannabis retail store be from a school?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bernalillo County
Compare Bernalillo County to another location·View the New Mexico cannabis regulations overview
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