Unlike some Washington counties, unincorporated Whatcom County allows licensed cannabis retail in designated commercial and industrial zones. State law requires a 1,000-foot buffer from schools and similar sites, and the City of Bellingham also permits retail stores.
Whatcom County chose to allow, rather than ban, cannabis businesses. Its zoning code, adopted in Ordinance 2015-006 and tightened by Ordinance 2022-011, permits licensed marijuana production, processing, and retail in specified zones, with retail steered toward commercial and industrial districts under development standards for odor, lighting, and setbacks. Every store still needs a state license from the Liquor and Cannabis Board, whose store allotments cap how many can open per jurisdiction; the state's licensing window has largely been closed to new applicants. Statewide, RCW 69.50.331 bars a license within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, and youth facilities. Bellingham likewise licenses retailers within its own zoning.
Operating a cannabis store without an LCB license, or inside a required buffer or a zone where retail is not allowed, brings state enforcement and county zoning action, including license denial or revocation and orders to cease.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Whatcom County's dispensary zoning rules stack up against other locations.
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