Sanford, FL Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)

The buffer runs from the perimeter property line of the pharmacy or dispensing facility site to the closest property line of the school or daycare, measured by a straight line, and applies regardless of whether the school or other facility is inside or outside Sanford's city limits. A facility that is lawfully sited through the conditional use process is not made nonconforming if a school or daycare later opens within the buffer; it keeps its status as a lawful nonconforming use. Cultivation, growing or processing of marijuana in any form, and onsite consumption, are specifically prohibited at any Sanford pharmacy or dispensing facility.

Drive-through service is limited to facilities of at least 14,500 and no more than 80,000 square feet; smaller facilities must conduct all sales, purchases and dispensing inside the building, with adequate seating so customers do not loiter in parking areas, sidewalks, rights-of-way or on neighboring property. Applications for major conditional use must include a site plan drawn to scale showing property lines, rights-of-way, adjacent uses and the location of buildings, parking areas, curb cuts and driveways, reviewed by the planning and zoning commission before the city commission may grant a building permit.

A conditional use approval expires 12 months after issuance if the use is never implemented, and dispensing is limited to marijuana approved by the State of Florida for medical use throughout the life of the approval.