New Castle County, DE Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- School/day-care/park buffer
- 1,000 feet
- Store-to-store buffer
- 1 mile
- Substance-abuse facility buffer
- 1,000 feet
- Geographic scope
- Unincorporated county only
- Grandfathered use
- Pre-7/1/2024 medical dispensaries exempt
Summary
Retail marijuana stores in unincorporated New Castle County must sit at least 1,000 feet from schools, colleges, day cares, places of worship, government parkland, and libraries, plus one mile from another retail store.
...recorded in the New Castle County Office of the Recorder of Deeds certifying that no portion of the proposed retail marijuana store building and signage is located within: 1. One (1) mile of an existing retail marijuana store...2. One thousand (1,000) feet of any parcel with a substance abuse treatment facility...3. One thousand (1,000) feet of any parcel with an established day care center, school (NAICS 6111), college (NAICS 6112, 6113), place of worship (NAICS 813110), governmental parkland, governmental office building, or library.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
Before New Castle County accepts a complete land-use application for a retail marijuana store, the property owner must record a document with the County Recorder of Deeds certifying the building and signage sit outside three buffers: one mile from any other retail marijuana store, 1,000 feet from a substance-abuse treatment facility, and 1,000 feet from a day care center, school, college, place of worship, governmental parkland, government office building, or library. Medical marijuana dispensaries licensed before July 1, 2024 are exempt. This Unified Development Code standard governs unincorporated New Castle County; Wilmington and Newark site and license retail marijuana stores under their own separate municipal codes.
Violations & Fines
No fine schedule is set in this section; a store sited inside a buffer fails site-plan review and cannot obtain a building or use permit from the Department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this buffer rule apply inside Wilmington or Newark?
How does the county enforce the buffer distances?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Castle County
Compare New Castle County to another location·View the Delaware cannabis regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.