Pasco, WA Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Standard buffer
- 1,000 feet from schools, parks, libraries, etc.
- Downtown reduced buffer
- 100 feet, within N 5th/W Clark/N 2nd/W Columbia
- School buffer
- Stays at 1,000 feet even downtown
- Measurement method
- Shortest straight line, property line to property line
- Compliance burden
- On the retail applicant at time of licensing
Summary
Pasco requires cannabis retail stores to sit at least 1,000 feet from schools, playgrounds, parks, libraries, transit centers, recreation centers, child care centers, and under-21 arcades. A downtown pocket bounded by North 5th, West Clark, North 2nd, and West Columbia gets a reduced 100-foot buffer instead.
Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, a cannabis retail facility may not be located within 1,000 feet of the perimeter of the grounds of any of the following entities/uses: (a) Elementary or secondary school; (b) Playground; (c) Recreational center or facility; (d) Child care center; (e) Public park; (f) Public transit center; (g) Library; or (h) Any game arcade where admission is not restricted to persons age 21 or older.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4837, passed May 4, 2026).
Full Breakdown
025(2) sets Pasco's standard cannabis buffer at 1,000 feet from the perimeter of an elementary or secondary school, playground, recreation center, child care center, public park, public transit center, library, or any game arcade not restricted to patrons 21 or older, all defined by reference to Chapter 314-55 WAC. 331 and WAC 314-55-050, the City Council found that shrinking the buffer for recreation centers, child care centers, parks, transit centers, libraries, and under-21 arcades would not harm civil or criminal enforcement, public safety, or public health inside a specific downtown zone: legal conforming lots bounded by North 5th Avenue, West Clark Street, North 2nd Avenue, and West Columbia Street.
Inside that zone, each of those six use types drops to a 100-foot buffer, though the 1,000-foot school buffer is not listed among the reduced categories and stays at the full distance everywhere. 025(5)(b)). 025(4)).
Violations & Fines
A cannabis retail facility sited inside the applicable buffer, whether the standard 1,000-foot distance or the reduced 100-foot downtown distance, is not eligible for a license under PMC 25.10.025(2)-(3), and the City Planner can pursue enforcement and monetary penalties under Chapters 1.40 and 1.45 PMC per PMC 25.10.030. A protected use that locates within the buffer after a retailer is already lawfully operating cannot use the buffer to displace it, per PMC 25.10.025(5)(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a cannabis store be from a school in Pasco?
Is there a smaller cannabis buffer anywhere in Pasco?
Can a park built next to an existing cannabis store force it to close?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasco
Compare Pasco to another location·View the Washington cannabis regulations overview
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