Police Code Article 16 and Planning Code Section 202.2 require cannabis retailers to maintain at least 600 feet from K-12 schools, mirroring California Business and Professions Code Section 26054 minimums, plus additional SF-specific separation rules.
California state law sets a default 600-foot setback from schools, daycares, and youth centers, measured from the property line. SF adopted the state minimum and added Planning Code provisions limiting clustering and requiring conditional-use authorization in many neighborhood commercial districts. Some districts like Polk Street and Mission have neighborhood-specific cannabis controls. The Office of Cannabis coordinates with Planning Department to vet locations before issuing licenses. Existing pre-Proposition 64 dispensaries are sometimes grandfathered. Equity Applicants do not get reduced buffer; siting standards apply uniformly.
Operating closer than 600 feet to a sensitive use or in a district without conditional-use authorization can trigger Planning Department enforcement, license suspension, and orders to cease operation pending relocation.
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