Louisville, KY Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 1,000 feet
- Measured
- parcel boundary to boundary
- Protected uses
- schools, child care centers
- Variance allowed
- no, not subject to relief
- Eligible zones
- C-M, EZ-1, PEC, M-1, M-2, M-3
Summary
Louisville Metro's Land Development Code keeps medicinal cannabis dispensaries, safety compliance facilities, cultivators, and processors at least 1,000 feet from any school or child care center, measured parcel-to-parcel with no local variance available.
A Safety Compliance Facility or Dispensary shall be not located within 1,000 feet of the boundary of any parcel occupied by any of the following uses (as measured in a straight line from parcel boundary to parcel boundary): 1. A facility used for education or instruction in any branch of knowledge, and including the following: elementary, middle or high schools, whether public or private 2. Child Care Center. This separation is required by KRS and is not subject to relief.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-47: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinances passed by the Council and approved by the Mayor as of July 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under LDC § 4.3.30(A), medicinal cannabis Dispensaries and Safety Compliance Facilities allowed in the C-M, EZ-1, PEC, M-1, M-2, and M-3 districts cannot sit within 1,000 feet of a school (public or private, elementary through high school) or a Child Care Center, measured in a straight line from parcel boundary to parcel boundary. LDC § 4.3.31(A) applies the identical 1,000-foot buffer to Cultivators, Processors, and Producers, and LDC § 4.2.67(A) repeats it for dispensaries seeking a Conditional Use Permit in C-2 or C-3 districts. The code states the separation is required by state law (KRS) and "is not subject to relief," so the Board of Zoning Adjustment has no variance authority here. The buffer does not list parks. Compliance is the applicant's responsibility to verify before investing in a site, and Metro's rules apply on top of separate state licensing.
Violations & Fines
No waiver or variance is available for a site inside the 1,000-foot buffer; the code puts the burden on the property owner or dispensary agent to confirm compliance before investment, and a facility that can't meet it is simply not a permitted use at that location, blocking any zoning approval or license.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Louisville's cannabis buffer include parks?
Can a dispensary get a variance if it's just short of 1,000 feet?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Louisville
Compare Louisville to another location·View the Kentucky cannabis regulations overview
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