Mendocino County, CA Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- School/park/youth-facility buffer
- 1,000 feet
- Neighboring residence setback
- 100 feet (200 ft Phase Three)
- Adjoining parcel line setback
- 50 feet (100 ft Phase Three)
- Governing section
- County Code § 10A.17.040(A)
- Reduction path
- administrative permit under Ch. 20.242
Summary
Mendocino County bans outdoor and mixed-light cannabis cultivation within 1,000 feet of any school, park, or youth-oriented facility that existed when the license was first applied for, under County Code Section 10A.17.040(A)(1). Additional setbacks keep grows at least 100 feet from neighboring homes and 50 feet from any adjoining parcel line.
(A)The cultivation of cannabis in Mendocino County, in any amount or quantity by any entity, shall not be allowed in the following areas:(1)Within one thousand (1,000) feet of a Youth-oriented facility, a School, or a Park as defined herein that is in existence at the time a CCBL is initially applied for.(2)Outdoors or using mixed light within one hundred (100) feet of any occupied legal residential structure located on a separate legal parcel; provided, however, that for Phase Three applicants this setback shall be increased to two hundred (200) feet for all CCBL applications but shall not apply to renewals of CCBL's originally issued to Phase One or Phase Two applicants.(5)Outdoors or using mixed light within fifty (50) feet from any adjoining legal parcel under separate ownership or access easement (whichever is most restrictive); provided, however, that for Phase Three applicants this setback shall be increased to one hundred (100) feet for all CCBL applications but shall not apply to renewals of CCBL's originally issued before that to Phase One or Phase Two applicants.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
040(A) of the Mendocino County Cannabis Cultivation Ordinance (MCCO) lists areas where cultivation cannot occur at all, regardless of license type. Paragraph (A)(1) bars cultivation "in any amount or quantity by any entity" within 1,000 feet of a youth-oriented facility, school, or park that existed when a Commercial Cannabis Business License (CCBL) was first applied for. 1. Outdoor and mixed-light grows must also stay 100 feet from any occupied legal residence on a separate parcel (200 feet for Phase Three applicants), 100 feet from an occupied mobile home in a mobile home park, and 50 feet from any adjoining parcel line or access easement (100 feet for Phase Three applicants).
040(B) sets the measuring rule: distance to a school, park, or youth facility runs in a straight line from the nearest edge of the cultivation area, or the nearest exterior wall for indoor grows, to the nearest point of the protected use or its fenced or maintained area. 040(D)-(F). 164's accessory-use rules.
Violations & Fines
Cultivating inside a protected buffer without an approved administrative permit reduction leaves a grower without a valid CCBL, which the county's Cannabis Program treats as a code violation subject to license denial, revocation, or referral for nuisance abatement. Because Section 10A.17.040 applies to cultivation "in any amount or quantity by any entity," growers within the 1,000-foot school or park buffer cannot obtain any CCBL type, including exempted personal-use grows under Section 10A.17.030.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 1,000-foot school buffer apply to indoor cannabis grows?
Can a grower get a variance from the school or property-line setback?
What counts as a youth-oriented facility under the buffer rule?
Does the buffer measure to the school building or the school grounds?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mendocino County
California rules heatmap·Compare Mendocino County to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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