Saint Paul, MN Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)

Saint Paul's zoning code regulates where a cannabis business holding a retail license or retail endorsement may open relative to nearby schools. Sec. 511(b) sets the buffer at a minimum of three hundred feet from any primary and secondary school, with the distance measured from the school property line to the principal structure of the cannabis retail business, not lot line to lot line, so a large school campus or a deep cannabis retail lot can shrink or stretch the effective gap. The buffer is waived in the city's B4 and B5 business districts, meaning a cannabis retailer in those higher-intensity commercial zones does not have to clear the 300-foot mark, while retailers everywhere else in the city, traditional neighborhood, lower-tier business, and mixed-use districts, must.

This buffer sits alongside the section's other standards: a conditional use permit is required outside industrial districts for any new cannabis retail construction over 15,000 square feet, and retailers must run 24/7 CCTV covering sales areas and entry and exit points. The school buffer was adopted as part of the city's cannabis retail zoning framework under Ordinance 24-21, enacted September 18, 2024, following the state's 2023 legalization of adult-use cannabis and creation of state cannabis retail licensing. Zoning staff verify the distance during site plan review before a cannabis retail zoning certificate is issued, and it is checked again if a retailer proposes to relocate.