Nassau County, FL Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 500 feet
- Measurement method
- Airline (straight-line) distance
- Protected use
- Elementary, middle, secondary schools
- Governing section
- LDC § 15.02(F)
- First-offense fine cap
- $1,000 per day
Summary
Unincorporated Nassau County bars medical marijuana treatment center dispensing facilities from locating within 500 feet, measured in airline distance, of a public or private elementary, middle or secondary school. The buffer is set in Section 15.02(F) of the Land Development Code, applying wherever the use is otherwise permitted.
(F)Distance restrictions. Medical marijuana treatment center dispensing facilities shall not be located within five hundred (500) feet in airline distance of the real property that comprises a public or private elementary school middle school, or secondary school.
Full Breakdown
02(F), the Commercial Neighborhood district's special restrictions section, states the distance restriction in explicit airline-distance terms: a dispensing facility cannot be located within 500 feet of the real property comprising a public or private elementary school, middle school, or secondary school. 02, including the requirement that sale and storage occur within a completely enclosed building. The measurement runs 'in airline distance,' meaning a straight-line measurement between the dispensing facility's site and the school property line rather than a driving or walking distance, which is a narrower method than a road-distance buffer and can allow siting closer than 500 feet of travel distance would suggest.
The buffer targets K-12 school property specifically; it does not extend to daycare centers, parks or churches, which are addressed by other sections of the code, if at all. An applicant proposing a dispensing facility in the CN or CPO district must demonstrate compliance with this 500-foot school buffer as part of site plan review by the Planning and Economic Opportunity Department before a building permit or certificate of occupancy will issue.
Violations & Fines
Locating or operating a dispensing facility within the 500-foot school buffer is a zoning violation enforced through code enforcement citation by the Planning and Economic Opportunity Department, referred to the special magistrate under Nassau County Code § 1-56 if uncorrected. Fines under § 1-61 reach $1,000 per day for a first violation and $5,000 per day for a repeat violation, with liens capped at 35 percent of the property's assessed value.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a dispensary be from a school in Nassau County?
Is the 500-foot buffer measured by road distance or straight-line distance?
Does the buffer apply to daycare centers or churches?
Who checks the school buffer before a dispensary opens?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nassau County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Nassau County to another location·View the Florida cannabis regulations overview
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