Bristol, CT Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)

Article VIII of Chapter 13 regulates cannabis establishments in the City of Bristol. Section 13-124 allows only the cannabis establishment types licensed under the state's Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis Act, RERACA, to operate in the city, including hybrid retailers, dispensary facilities, cultivators, micro-cultivators, producers, food and beverage manufacturers, product manufacturers, product packagers, delivery services and transporters, and it caps the number of hybrid retailers allowed to operate in the city at two. Section 13-125(b) further confines any cannabis establishment to the BG, BD, BHC, I and IP zones, and only if the establishment can otherwise satisfy the zoning regulations that apply in that zone.

Beyond state licensing and zoning approval, § 13-126 requires every cannabis establishment to obtain permission from the city council itself, by a majority vote of members present at a council meeting, before doing business in the city. Section 13-127 requires a cannabis establishment to seek council approval again if it relocates after approval or substantially changes its approved site plan, and to notify the mayor's office within 24 hours if the state suspends or revokes its license. Bristol has not opted out of cannabis retail entirely: the code creates a bounded, zone-restricted, numerically capped path to operate rather than a citywide ban.