Lynwood, CA Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)

Section 4-35.6 sets Lynwood's sensitive-use buffers using authority the state specifically delegated to cities under Business and Professions Code § 26054(b), which lets a city override the state's own default distance rules. A cannabis retailer must sit more than six hundred fifty feet from any school or licensed day care center, and more than nine hundred fifty feet from any public park or youth center, in addition to sitting in a permitted C-2A, C-3, or M zone (§ 4-35.6(a)). The distance is measured as a straight horizontal line from the sensitive use's parcel line to the closest parcel line of the retailer's lot, ignoring any buildings, fences or other structures in between (§ 4-35.6(b)).

Lynwood also writes its own definitions of the sensitive uses being protected: a 'school' is limited to a K-12 public school or a private school that has filed the required state affidavit, a 'day care center' must be licensed by the state Department of Social Services, and a 'youth center' excludes public parks, private dance or martial-arts studios, and businesses like arcades, pizza parlors or doctors' offices that merely serve children (§ 4-35.3). Each retail applicant must also submit a neighborhood compatibility plan and demonstrate adequate odor control, so that odors are not detectable outside the premises (§ 4-35.6(c)).

The buffer applies on top of, not instead of, the citywide cap of six retail permits and the C-2A, C-3, or M zoning restriction, so a site can fail even if it clears the distance test but sits in the wrong zone.