Ogden, UT Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential buffer
- 600 feet from any primarily residential zone
- Community-location buffer
- 200 feet from schools, churches, libraries, parks
- Waiver
- Utah Dept. of Health may waive residential buffer only
- Hours
- 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. only
- Storefront rule
- one entrance, no painted exterior brick, no covered windows
- Zones covered
- R-MFV, R-MFH, C-MU, C-ENT, H-25, C-9
- Governing sections
- Ogden City Code §§ 15-34-3 and 15-32-3
Summary
Ogden City zoning treats medical cannabis pharmacies as a regulated downtown retail use, not a ban. In the R-MFV, R-MFH, C-MU, C-ENT, H-25 and C-9 zones, a pharmacy must sit at least 600 feet from any primarily residential zone and 200 feet from a school, church, library, playground or park, unless the Utah Department of Health waives the residential-zone distance.
10. Medical Cannabis Pharmacies: Medical cannabis pharmacies are businesses that have been licensed by the State of Utah for the sale of medical cannabis. a. Unless waived by the Utah Department of Health, the medical cannabis pharmacy shall be located no closer than 600 feet from any primarily residential zone and 200 feet from any community location (as defined in section 15-2-4 of this code), measured from the nearest entrance to the pharmacy following the shortest route of ordinary pedestrian travel to the boundary of the community location or residential zone. b. Only one public access is permitted which shall be located on the street face of the building. c. No portion of the exterior brick visible to the public shall be painted. d. No windows shall be darkened or covered to prohibit view into the interior of the sales space from the street. e. Hours of operation shall be limited to eight o'clock (8:00) A.M. to eight o'clock (8:00) P.M.
Full Breakdown
City Code section 15-34-3 lists medical cannabis pharmacies as a licensed "Sales" land use inside Ogden's downtown commercial zones (C-MU, C-ENT, H-25 and C-9), and the parallel section 15-32-3 does the same for the downtown residential multiple-family zones (R-MFV and R-MFH). " Section 15-2-4 defines a community location as "a public or private school, a licensed child-care facility or preschool, a church, a public library, a public playground, or a public park," so the 200-foot buffer covers all of those uses, not schools alone. The 600-foot residential buffer can be waived by the Utah Department of Health, but the code gives no equivalent waiver for the 200-foot community-location buffer.
m. These conditions stack on top of the distance buffer, so a site that clears 600 and 200 feet still must meet the storefront and hours standards to open.
Violations & Fines
The ordinance does not print a cannabis-specific fine schedule. A pharmacy that misses the 600-foot or 200-foot buffer, the single-entrance and window rules, or the 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. hours in section 15-34-3 is out of compliance with its zoning approval, and Ogden's Community and Economic Development department can pursue it as a zoning violation. Because siting is tied to the state license, noncompliance also puts the pharmacy's Utah Department of Health license at risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a medical cannabis pharmacy be from a school in Ogden?
Can the residential-zone buffer be waived?
What hours can an Ogden medical cannabis pharmacy operate?
Which Ogden zones allow medical cannabis pharmacies?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ogden
Compare Ogden to another location·View the Utah cannabis regulations overview
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