Sacramento County, CA Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)

Section 3.2.4.C of the Sacramento County Zoning Code states plainly that commercial cannabis activities, as defined in Section 7.3 of the Code, are prohibited in all zoning districts. The provision was added in the uses-not-listed section of Chapter 3 (Use Regulations) and last amended July 16, 2020, meaning the county has held this opt-out position for years rather than adopting it as a stopgap. Because the ban sits inside the 'Uses Not Provided in the Tables' framework, there is no zoning district, whether agricultural, commercial, or industrial, where a Conditional Use Permit or Planning Director determination can revive the use; Section 3.2.4.A only lets the Planning Director approve uses substantially similar to an already-allowed use, and commercial cannabis is expressly carved out as prohibited rather than left undefined.

Chapter 7's definitions section confirms the reach of the ban: 'Cannabis, Commercial Activities' is defined by cross-reference to California Business and Professions Code Sections 19300.5 and 26001 and expressly includes cultivation, possession, manufacture, processing, storing, laboratory testing, labeling, transporting, distribution, or sale of cannabis or cannabis products, added May 11, 2017 and amended July 16, 2020 and June 11, 2026. That sweep covers retail dispensaries, delivery hubs, distribution warehouses, manufacturing, and testing labs alike; none of those uses appear in the Allowed Uses tables (Table 3.1) for any district. The zoning ordinance separately bans sale of cannabis at urban agricultural stands under Section 3.4.7.G. The only cannabis activity the Zoning Code permits is personal, non-commercial cultivation, addressed separately under Section 3.9.3.BB and governed by the definitions and restrictions in Chapter 6.88 of the County Code, which is a distinct home-grow allowance and not a business license.