Vacaville, CA Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 600 feet from schools, daycares, youth centers
- Measurement method
- Straight-line, property line to property line
- Applies to
- Retail, distribution, manufacturing, testing, microbusiness
- Certifying official
- Director of Community Development
- Governing section
- VMC § 9.13.330(A)-(B)
Summary
Vacaville cannabis businesses, retail and non-retail alike, must sit at least 600 feet from any parcel with a K-12 school, licensed daycare center, or youth center, measured property line to property line under Vacaville Municipal Code Section 9.13.330.
It shall be no closer than 600 feet from any zoned parcel in the City designated by the City and state law as a sensitive use... The distance measured shall be the horizontal distance measured in a straight line from the property line of those parcels...to the closest property line of the lot on which the cannabis business is located. It shall be no closer than 600 feet from any parcel containing any of the following: a. A school providing instruction in kindergarten or any grades one through 12 (whether public, private, or charter, including preschool, transitional kindergarten, and K – 12). b. A commercial daycare center licensed by the state, county or City which is in existence at the time the license is issued, unless the state licensing authority or the City specifies a greater radius. c. A youth center that is in existence prior to the submittal of the initial cannabis application or at the time the license is issued, unless the state licensing authority or the City specifies a greater radius.
Full Breakdown
330 sets identical 600-foot buffer requirements for both classes of cannabis business. Subsection A covers distribution, manufacturing, testing labs, and non-storefront microbusinesses; subsection B covers retail storefronts. Both require the operation to sit no closer than 600 feet from any parcel the City or state law designates a sensitive use, and specifically no closer than 600 feet from a parcel containing a school serving kindergarten through grade 12 (public, private, or charter, including preschool and transitional kindergarten), a state- or City-licensed commercial daycare center existing when the permit is issued, or a youth center existing before the application was submitted or at the time the license is issued.
The distance is measured as the horizontal straight-line distance between the closest property lines of the two parcels, not from door to door or by walking route. The City or state licensing authority can require a greater radius than 600 feet for a daycare or youth center where warranted. 320. 13.
Violations & Fines
Sites that fail the 600-foot buffer cannot receive a cannabis business permit; the Director of Community Development will not certify locational compliance under Section 9.13.310, and the City Manager's office will deny or decline to advance the application. An applicant that misrepresents site distances risks license denial or revocation under the chapter's general enforcement provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the 600-foot cannabis buffer measured in Vacaville?
Does the buffer apply to cannabis manufacturing and testing labs, not just retail?
Can the buffer be larger than 600 feet for a daycare or youth center?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vacaville
California rules heatmap·Compare Vacaville to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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Buffer Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Solano County handle buffer zones.