San Benito County, CA Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Parcel-line setback
- 30 feet
- Sensitive-use setback
- 600 feet
- Cultivation-to-residence setback
- 300 feet
- Industrial zone
- parcel/residence setbacks waived
Summary
Unincorporated San Benito County requires cannabis businesses to sit at least 30 feet from parcel lines, 600 feet from sensitive uses like schools and churches, and cultivation sites 300 feet from off-parcel homes.
(a) Thirty feet from any boundary line of the parcel. This setback requirement shall not apply to any permitted cannabis business facility located in an industrial zone; (b) It shall be no closer than 600 feet from any structure or facility containing a sensitive use...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-28: current through Ordinance 1078).
Full Breakdown
The county's cannabis development standards set three separate setbacks outside industrial zones: 30 feet from any parcel boundary line, 600 feet from any existing structure housing a sensitive use such as a church or licensed child care facility, and, for cultivation businesses specifically, 300 feet from any existing off-parcel permitted residence. The parcel-line and residence setbacks do not apply to cannabis facilities located in an industrial zone. Applicants may seek an exception from the Resources Management Agency, decided by the Planning Commission. This applies only in the unincorporated county, not inside Hollister or San Juan Bautista.
Violations & Fines
Siting a cannabis business closer than the required setback without an approved exception is grounds for permit denial or revocation by the county Resources Management Agency or Planning Commission.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the setbacks apply to cannabis facilities in industrial zones?
Can these setbacks be reduced?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Benito County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Benito County to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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