Cheektowaga, NY Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)

Local Law No. 1-2025, effective March 11, 2025, created Chapter 80 of the Town Code to govern cannabis establishments town-wide (outside the Villages of Sloan and Depew). Under § 80-2, any establishment that wants to sell cannabis products must obtain a special use permit consistent with Chapter 260 (the Town's zoning/special-permit chapter), paying the same fee charged for other special use permits. The Town Board reviews each application, may refer it to an advisory committee, and after a public hearing can approve, approve with conditions, or deny the permit; the applicant carries the burden of proof (§ 80-3).

Permits run one year and must be renewed at least 60 days before expiration through the Town Clerk, with the Town Attorney, Police Department, and Code Enforcement/Building Inspector all weighing in on renewal (§ 80-7). , seven days a week, and bars operation outside that window unless the Town explicitly authorizes it in writing. Permits cannot be sold, transferred, or assigned without prior Town Board approval, and lapse if the business closes for more than 12 months. Establishments must also hold a New York State Office of Cannabis Management license and remain subject to Town inspection at any time (§ 80-6).

Grounds for denial include an applicant's prior bad acts, substantiated complaints, or a location likely to harm the surrounding neighborhood (§ 80-5). Because the Town Board enacted a permitting chapter rather than a prohibition, Cheektowaga has not opted out of retail dispensaries or on-site consumption under the state Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act; it instead licenses them locally under Chapter 80.