Pennsylvania Act 16 requires medical-cannabis grower-processors and dispensaries to operate at least 1000 feet from a school or daycare. Philadelphia zoning enforces this state buffer through Code 14-603 special-use review and Department of Licenses and Inspections siting checks.
35 P.S. section 10231.601(a)(7) prohibits a medical-marijuana facility within 1000 feet of the property line of a public, private, or parochial school or a daycare center, measured at the closest points. The Department of Health may grant a waiver only with documented community support and approval. Philadelphia Zoning Code section 14-603(13) layers special-exception review by the Zoning Board of Adjustment for any medical-marijuana dispensary or grower, with notice to registered community organizations. Buffer measurement uses parcel lines, not building footprints. Operators submitting plans to Licenses and Inspections must show a stamped survey and certify school and daycare locations. Existing schools that open near operating dispensaries do not retroactively close licensed facilities.
Dispensaries violating the 1000-foot rule lose their state permit under 28 Pa. Code 1141.43 and face Philadelphia zoning enforcement under section 14-2007, with civil penalties up to two thousand dollars per day until closure.
Philadelphia, PA
Pennsylvania Act 16 of 2016 governs cannabis licensing for medical use only; recreational sales remain illegal. The Department of Health awards a small set o...
Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Zoning Code section 14-603(13) authorizes medical-marijuana grower-processors and dispensaries only in specific commercial and industrial distri...
Philadelphia, PA
Medical marijuana dispensaries in Philadelphia must comply with zoning restrictions under the Philadelphia Zoning Code. No dispensary may be within 500 feet ...
See how Philadelphia's buffer zones rules stack up against other locations.
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