Pomona, CA Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 1,000 feet
- Protected uses
- K-12 schools, day care centers, youth/recreation centers
- Measured from
- Property line to property line
- Timing test
- Use must be lawfully existing at application filing
- Governing section
- City Code Sec. 68-6(c)
- Also applies with
- Overlay Sub-Areas SA1-SA4 location rule
Summary
Pomona bars a commercial cannabis permit for any site within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school, day care center, or youth and recreation center, measured to the property line in lawful existence when the application was filed. The buffer applies on top of the zoning overlay location rules and is not waivable by variance under Code Chapter 68.
In addition to all other applicable zoning regulations and the requirements of all required state and local permits, no commercial cannabis permit will be valid if the proposed commercial cannabis business is located within a 1,000-foot radius of a school providing instruction in kindergarten or any grades one through 12, a day care center, or a youth and recreation center with primary youth and recreation center activities, which is in lawful existence at the time a successful application was submitted to the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 31).
Full Breakdown
Code Sec. ' Because the test runs from lawful existence at the time of application, a school or day care that opens after a cannabis business is already permitted does not retroactively void that existing permit; the timing runs the other direction. The rule applies in addition to, not instead of, the Commercial Cannabis Permit Program Overlay District location requirements, so a site must clear both the SA1-SA4 overlay boundary and the 1,000-foot buffer before a permit application can be approved. The application itself must document compliance: Sec.
68-8(a)(9)(b)(2) requires applicants to submit a map identifying any schools, day care, or youth and recreation center facilities and any other commercial cannabis business within 1,000 feet of the property lines, or, if none exists within that radius, to identify the closest such use and state the distance in feet. The city manager's office and the Pomona Police Department review this map during Phase One intake and Phase Two scoring under Sec. 68-9.
Violations & Fines
A permit issued in error over a disqualifying buffer, or an application that misrepresents nearby schools or day care facilities, exposes the applicant to permit denial or revocation (Sec. 68-11) and, if the business opens anyway, prosecution as a misdemeanor under Sec. 68-38(a) with each day of unpermitted operation a separate offense (Sec. 68-38(d)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 1,000-foot cannabis buffer apply to parks in Pomona?
If a day care opens near an existing dispensary, does the dispensary lose its permit?
How is the 1,000-foot distance measured?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pomona
California rules heatmap·Compare Pomona to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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Buffer Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle buffer zones.