Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act requires medical dispensaries to sit at least 1,000 feet from schools and daycare centers; Pittsburgh zoning Title 9 layers additional residential and park buffers, sharply limiting eligible parcels citywide.
Pennsylvania's Medical Marijuana Act, 35 P.S. §10231.101 et seq., imposes a state-level 1,000-foot buffer between medical dispensaries and any public, private, or parochial school or daycare, measured property line to property line. Pittsburgh's zoning code Title 9 adds buffers from residential districts and public parks, and concentrates eligible sites in specific commercial and light-industrial corridors. Operators must prove buffer compliance during state Department of Health permitting and city zoning review. Recreational cannabis remains illegal statewide pending legislative or ballot action, so these buffer rules apply only to medical operators.
Permits denied if buffer not met; existing operators that lose buffer compliance may continue as legal nonconforming use; enforcement combines PA DOH license action and city zoning violations $500-$1,000.
See how Pittsburgh's buffer zones rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.