Worcester, MA Cannabis Regulations: Buffer Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- School/park buffer
- 500 feet
- Retailer-to-retailer buffer
- 500 feet
- License cap
- 20% of qualifying liquor licenses
- Enforcement
- License commission, police, fire, ISD
- Max daily fine
- $300 per day
Summary
Worcester bars a Marijuana Retailer license within 500 feet of a school, licensed daycare, public library, park or playground, and within 500 feet of another licensed retailer. Chapter Eleven, Section 8B(k)-(l) sets both buffers, enforced by the license commission.
§ 8B. Adult Use Retail Marijuana Establishments
(k) In no instance shall a license be issued to Marijuana Retailer that is located within five hundred (500) feet of a pre-existing public or private, primary or secondary school, licensed daycare center, public library, public park or playground.
(l) No license shall be issued to a Marijuana Retailer where the proposed location is within five hundred (500) feet of another licensed Marijuana Retailer.
Full Breakdown
c. 94G. Subsection (k) bars the license commission from issuing a Marijuana Retailer license for any location within five hundred feet of a pre-existing public or private primary or secondary school, a licensed daycare center, a public library, or a public park or playground. Subsection (l) adds a second, retailer-to-retailer buffer: no license may issue where the proposed location sits within five hundred feet of another already-licensed Marijuana Retailer, which in practice spreads retail locations across the city rather than letting them cluster. c. m.
on Sunday. The department of inspectional services, the Worcester police and fire departments, and the license commission all share enforcement authority for Section 8B, and a violation of the section, including operating within a barred buffer, can draw a fine of up to three hundred dollars per day, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately.
Violations & Fines
A licensee operating in violation of Section 8B, including siting within a barred buffer, faces a fine of up to $300 per day under subsection (y), with each day a separate offense; the license commission may also suspend, modify or revoke the license after notice and a hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How close can a marijuana retailer be to a Worcester school?
Can two marijuana retailers open next door to each other in Worcester?
Who enforces the marijuana retailer buffer rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Worcester
Compare Worcester to another location·View the Massachusetts cannabis regulations overview
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Buffer Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle buffer zones.