Irondequoit, NY Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)

The buffers are in § 235-90(C)(3)(b) to (d) of the Town of Irondequoit Code, added by Local Law No. 4-2022 on August 16, 2022. They apply to adult-use cannabis retail dispensaries and on-site consumption facilities, which the Town allows only with a special use permit issued by the Planning Board in the M Manufacturing District.

Three separation rules are printed. First, cannabis facilities cannot be permitted within 1,000 feet of any school or Town-owned park or playground. Second, they cannot be within 500 feet of any place of worship. Third, no cannabis facility can be located within 500 feet of another cannabis facility in the Town of Irondequoit. The school and park distance is twice the place of worship distance. Only Town-owned parks and playgrounds trigger the 1,000 foot rule.

The measuring method is fixed: separation distances are measured in a straight line from the nearest point of each property line, so the distance runs between property lines rather than between buildings or along streets. A map depicting the excluded areas is maintained by the Town Code Enforcement Officer, which gives applicants a place to check a site before filing.

The buffers sit on top of the other siting rules. The facility must be in the M Manufacturing District only, must hold a valid license from the New York State Office of Cannabis Management, cannot be inside a building containing residential units, and must have a principal entrance on a public thoroughfare at street level (§ 235-90(C)(2), (3)(a) and (4)). Walk-up and drive-through service is prohibited, and a dispensary's public area cannot exceed 5,000 square feet gross floor area. The Planning Board, not the Town Board, issues the special use permit under § 274-b of New York State Town Law.