Lake County, CA Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 1,000 feet from schools, parks, rehab, child care
- Plant limit (adult use)
- 6 plants per residence
- Patient/caregiver limit
- 6 mature or 12 immature per patient
- Outdoor setback (large parcels)
- 75 ft from lines, 150 ft from homes
- Lighting cap
- 1,200 watts indoor/mixed-light
- Infraction fine
- up to $100 (Sec. 61.4)
Summary
Unincorporated Lake County bans outdoor, non-greenhouse cannabis cultivation within 1,000 feet of any K-12 school, a public park with playground equipment, a drug or alcohol rehab facility, or a licensed child care, nursery school, church, or youth-oriented facility. The distance runs horizontally from that use's property line to the cultivation site.
Outdoor cultivation not located within a greenhouse is prohibited within a 1,000 feet of: (a) any public or private school, grades K through 12; (b) a developed public park containing playground equipment; (c) a drug or alcohol rehabilitation facility; or (d) A licensed child care facility or nursery school, church or youth-oriented facility catering to or providing services primarily intended for minors. The distance specified in this section shall be measured horizontally from the property line of the school, park, rehabilitation facility, licensed child care facility, nursery school, or youth-oriented facility, to the cultivation site.
Full Breakdown
The buffer applies to personal, non-commercial cultivation by adults 21 and older, qualified medical patients, and primary caregivers under Zoning Ordinance Article 27, Sec. 3(z). Cultivation is treated as a residential accessory use: on parcels of five acres or less, and on any lot inside a community growth boundary, plants must be grown in a detached accessory building, an indoor grow room, or a mixed-light greenhouse. Only parcels larger than five acres outside a community growth boundary may add an outdoor fenced area, and it is that outdoor, non-greenhouse cultivation the 1,000-foot buffer targets.
Where a greenhouse is used instead, the buffer does not apply, but outdoor areas on qualifying large parcels must still sit at least 75 feet from all property lines and 150 feet from an offsite residence under Sec. 3(z)(viii). Plant counts are capped separately: personal adult use is limited to six cannabis plants per residence regardless of the number of adult occupants, while qualified patients and primary caregivers may grow up to six mature or twelve immature plants per patient, capped at six patients per parcel.
Hoop-houses are prohibited outright. 5 grams must stay inside the residence or a locked space, out of view from a public place. Indoor and mixed-light lighting is capped at 1,200 watts, and outdoor areas without a greenhouse may not use supplemental lighting at all.
Violations & Fines
Cultivating outside these standards is treated as a Chapter 21 zoning violation. Under Article 61, Sec. 61.4, a violation is punishable as an infraction with a fine up to $100, or as a misdemeanor with a fine up to $500, imprisonment in the county jail for up to six months, or both; each day the violation continues is a separate offense. The Planning Director, Environmental Officer, Director of Building and Safety, and Zoning Code Compliance Officer hold arrest and citation authority under Sec. 61.3, and noncompliant grow structures or land uses can be declared a public nuisance subject to abatement by County Counsel.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the 1,000-foot cannabis buffer measured in Lake County?
Does the buffer apply if I grow in a greenhouse?
How many cannabis plants can a Lake County resident grow?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lake County
California rules heatmap·Compare Lake County to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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