St. Louis County, MO Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- School/childcare/worship buffer
- 1,000 ft, no exceptions
- Other dispensary/liquor store buffer
- 500 ft for by-right siting
- Measurement method
- Shortest walkable path, not straight line
- Measurement authority
- St. Louis County Department of Planning
- Districts where rule applies
- C-2 and C-3 commercial zones
- Dispensary hours cap
- 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily
Summary
A marijuana dispensary in unincorporated St. Louis County must clear two hard buffers to open as a permitted use: 1,000 feet from any existing school, childcare center, or place of worship, and 500 feet from any existing dispensary or package liquor store. The county measures both distances along the shortest path a person can actually walk, not a straight line.
(12)Marijuana dispensary facility, provided no marijuana dispensary facility shall be located within one thousand (1,000) feet of any then-existing elementary or secondary school, childcare center, or place of worship, nor within five hundred (500) feet of any then-existing marijuana dispensary facility or any then-existing package liquor store (see Section 1003.167 "Miscellaneous Regulations" for measurement methods). 21.Marijuana facility measurement requirements:a.In the case of a freestanding marijuana facility, the distance between the facility and an elementary or secondary school, child care center, or place of worship shall be measured from the external wall of the facility structure closest in proximity...to the closest point of the property line...Measurements shall be made along the shortest path between the demarcation points that can be lawfully traveled by foot as determined by the St. Louis County Department of Planning.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 | Traffic: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
2(12), governing the "C-3" Shopping District, permits a marijuana dispensary facility outright only if it sits at least one thousand (1,000) feet from any then-existing elementary or secondary school, childcare center, or place of worship, and at least five hundred (500) feet from any then-existing marijuana dispensary facility or package liquor store. 2(10). 21 spells out how those distances get measured: for a freestanding facility, the county measures from the exterior wall of the facility closest to the protected use to the closest point of that use's property line; if the school, childcare center, or place of worship sits inside a larger building, the measurement runs to its entrance instead.
Critically, the ordinance does not allow a straight-line, as-the-crow-flies measurement; it requires the shortest path "that can be lawfully traveled by foot," as determined by the St. Louis County Department of Planning, which can make the effective buffer longer than the raw distance on a map in areas cut off by highways or fencing. 19, a companion restriction that applies regardless of how a given site clears the distance buffers.
Violations & Fines
A dispensary sited inside the 1,000-foot school/childcare/worship buffer cannot obtain zoning approval under any pathway in the C-2 or C-3 districts. Operating outside permitted hours, or opening before the Department of Planning has verified the walked-distance measurement, exposes the operator to zoning citations, permit revocation, and forced closure until compliance is demonstrated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a marijuana dispensary be from a school in St. Louis County?
Is the 500-foot dispensary buffer measured in a straight line?
Do the buffer rules apply to marijuana consumption lounges too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Louis County
Compare St. Louis County to another location·View the Missouri cannabis regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.