Blue Earth County, MN Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)

Blue Earth County treats every cannabis business as an interim use, not a by-right use, under Sec. 24-341(c). Retail sale of cannabis, cannabis flower, cannabis products and hemp-derived products is permitted only in the General Business and Highway Business districts, and even there it is capped to the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., seven days a week, under Sec. 24-341(d). Every other license type, cultivation, cannabis manufacturing, low-potency hemp edible manufacturing, wholesale, transportation, and delivery, is confined to the Light Industry and Heavy Industry districts.

Before any of that can happen, Sec. 24-341(a) requires the operator to hold an approved license from the state Office of Cannabis Management and an approved registration issued by Blue Earth County to that state-licensed business, as specified in chapter 4 of the county code; cannabis businesses may not be run as home occupations or out of a dwelling, and county staff must conduct a site inspection before the interim use permit is issued. The application itself, under Sec. 24-341(e), must include a full business plan, a surveyed site plan, a security plan meeting state standards with alarms, video surveillance and a 30-minute security response protocol, a signage plan, a solid waste plan, and an odor management plan to prevent nuisance conditions off-site.

Sec. 24-341(f) keeps the county's hand on the permit afterward: noncompliance with the county ordinance, state statute, or IUP conditions triggers a review, and the permit terminates outright if the registration is suspended, the property sells, ownership changes, or the state license holder changes.