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Southfield, MI Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Residential/school/park buffer
500 feet minimum separation
Pawn shop/financial services buffer
1,500 feet minimum separation
Zoning district
B-3 general business, special land use only
Hours
9 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays/Saturday, 10 a.m. Sunday
Licensing precondition
Chapter 70 license required, per § 5.22-7
Penalty
$25-$500 fine, up to 90 days jail (Sec. 5.206)

Summary

In the City of Southfield, a licensed medical marihuana provisioning center must sit at least 500 feet from any residential district or use, drug-free school zone, school, religious institution, childcare facility or park, and 1,500 feet from pawn shops or alternative financial services, under City Code § 5.22-7(e)(4).

(e)A medical marihuana provisioning center shall be authorized to sell packaged medical marihuana and marihuana-infused products to registered qualifying patients directly or through a registered primary caregiver, and shall be subject to the following conditions: ... (4)Separation requirements:a.Five hundred (500) feet from a residential district, residential use, "drug-free school zone," adult regulated uses, schools, religious institutions, childcare facilities, parks, or another licensed medical marihuana provisioning center.b.One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet from pawn shops or alternative financial services establishments.

Full Breakdown

Southfield's medical marihuana facilities section, Sec. 5.22-7, licenses and zones provisioning centers, grow facilities, processing facilities, secure transporters and safety compliance facilities separately, with each use type carrying its own siting rules; subsection (e) covers provisioning centers specifically. A provisioning center is limited to the B-3 general business district as a special land use, excluding gas stations, and its hours run 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Sunday, or as set by the special land use conditions.

Sec. 5.22-7(e)(4) then layers on the separation standard: a provisioning center must sit at least 500 feet from a residential district, a residential use, a drug-free school zone, an adult regulated use, a school, a religious institution, a childcare facility, a park, or another already-licensed provisioning center, and at least 1,500 feet from a pawn shop or alternative financial services establishment. A center cannot be located within another business except as the state medical marihuana licensing board allows, must run continuous video surveillance with footage kept off-site for 14 days, and must separate public areas from restricted areas with a permanent barrier.

Approval runs through city council after a planning commission recommendation, and the section itself notes that all licensing provisions in Chapter 70 must also be satisfied before a facility can operate.

Violations & Fines

Operating a provisioning center that ignores the 500-foot or 1,500-foot separation standard, or any other condition set in § 5.22-7(e), violates Chapter 45's zoning standards, enforced by the Director of the Department of Building and Safety Engineering under Sec. 5.205. Sec. 5.206 sets the penalty at a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500 per offense and up to 90 days in the county jail, or both, treating a noncompliant facility as a nuisance per se subject to circuit court abatement, with each day counted as a separate offense.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far must a marihuana provisioning center be from a school or park in Southfield?
At least 500 feet under City Code § 5.22-7(e)(4). The same 500-foot buffer also applies to any residential district or use, a drug-free school zone, a religious institution, a childcare facility, and any other already-licensed provisioning center, so the distance rule stacks against multiple protected uses at once, not just schools.
Can a marihuana provisioning center open anywhere zoned for business in Southfield?
No. Provisioning centers are limited to the B-3 general business district, approved as a special land use by city council after a planning commission recommendation, and gas stations in B-3 are excluded outright. Meeting the 500-foot and 1,500-foot separation standards is a separate, additional condition on top of the zoning and special-use approval.
What happens if a provisioning center violates the buffer or use conditions?
It is a Chapter 45 zoning violation enforced by the Director of the Department of Building and Safety Engineering. Sec. 5.206 sets the penalty: a fine of $25 to $500 per offense and up to 90 days in jail, or both, with the city able to treat a noncompliant facility as a nuisance per se and seek abatement through the courts.

Sources & Official References

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