Cathedral City, CA Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Conditional use permit under Chapter 9.72
- Districts naming dispensaries
- PCC, CBP-2 and I-1
- Local license
- Required before the planning commission holds a hearing
- Concentration north of I-10
- Not less than five hundred feet from another dispensary
- Dispensary hours
- Six a.m. to ten p.m.
- South of I-10 applications
- Not accepted after November 23, 2016
Summary
Cathedral City, California, permits cannabis dispensaries only by conditional use permit, in the districts whose use lists name them: PCC, CBP-2 and I-1. The planning commission will not hold a hearing until the applicant holds a local license in good standing.
A. Where one or more types of cannabis businesses are listed as a conditionally permitted use in a zoning district in Division II of this Title 9 of the code, a cannabis business of the type conditionally permitted in the subject zone may only operate after obtaining a conditional use permit pursuant to this chapter and Chapter 9.72 of this code. No person may operate any cannabis business that is a conditionally permitted use without having first obtained a conditional use permit. ... D. Chapter 9.72 of this code shall govern and apply to conditional use permits for cannabis businesses applied for or obtained pursuant to this chapter unless this chapter expressly states otherwise. All requirements contained in this chapter shall be in addition to the applicable requirements of Chapter 9.72.
Full Breakdown
Cathedral City, in Riverside County, California, regulates cannabis retail through zoning and licensing rather than a ban. Chapter 9.108 of the Municipal Code is adopted under Section 26200 of the California Business and Professions Code and the city's constitutional authority, and it governs all cannabis businesses within Cathedral City. Under Section 9.108.040, a cannabis business that a zoning district lists as a conditionally permitted use can operate only after it obtains a conditional use permit under Chapter 9.72. No person can operate such a business without first holding that permit, and the city planner is authorized to set the application process and the information required of applicants.
The use lists in Title 9 name cannabis dispensaries as conditional uses in three districts: the PCC Planned Community Commercial District (Section 9.30.030), the CBP-2 Commercial Business Park District (Section 9.36.040) and the I-1 Light Industrial District (Section 9.40.040). A dispensary must also clear the distance rules in Section 9.108.070 for schools, day-care centers, youth centers and residential zones.
Two more filters sit on top of zoning. Section 9.108.060 bars the planning commission from holding a public hearing on a cannabis conditional use permit unless the applicant holds a local license in good standing, and it requires a finding that a new dispensary will not add to an excessive concentration of dispensaries. Section 9.108.030 defines excessive concentration in two ways: south of Interstate 10, approval that would result in more than twenty dispensaries approved to operate there; north of Interstate 10, a proposed dispensary located less than five hundred feet from another approved dispensary. Separately, Section 5.88.040 says the local licensing authority will not accept a dispensary application for a location south of Interstate 10 after November 23, 2016.
Once open, Section 5.88.070 allows a dispensary to be open to the public only between six a.m. and ten p.m., and it bars entry by anyone under twenty-one, with a narrow exception for state M-license holders and eighteen-year-old patients.
Violations & Fines
Section 9.108.130 treats operation of a cannabis business in violation of any condition of approval, Chapter 9.108 or Chapter 9.72 as a violation of the code and a public nuisance. The city can use any remedy in law or equity, including the Title 13 enforcement mechanisms, or move to revoke the conditional use permit under Section 9.72.130. Running a dispensary without the permit breaks Section 9.108.040.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cathedral City allow cannabis dispensaries?
Do I need a local license before applying for the permit?
Is there a cap on dispensaries in Cathedral City?
Who reviews a dispensary permit application?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cathedral City
California rules heatmap·Compare Cathedral City to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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Dispensary Zoning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle dispensary zoning.