Arapahoe County, CO Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- LDC § 3-3.5.B; § 3-3.5.C.1.a
- Default rule
- All marijuana land uses banned
- Exception cutoff
- Licensed & operating by Aug. 1, 2022
- Countywide store cap
- 4 commercial marijuana stores
- New stores
- Not permitted: cap is closed
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county only
Summary
Unincorporated Arapahoe County prohibits marijuana land uses outright under Land Development Code § 3-3.5.B. The sole exception is a grandfathered class of Commercial Marijuana Stores licensed as of August 1, 2022, capped countywide at four stores under § 3-3.5.C.1.a.
The use of land, buildings, or structures to grow, produce, cultivate, sell, dispense, distribute, store, test, or manufacture marijuana and/or marijuana products, or as a marijuana club, is not allowed or permitted throughout unincorporated Arapahoe County, except to the extent specifically identified in Section 3-3.5.C, below. ... No more than four (4) commercial marijuana stores are permitted to operate within unincorporated Arapahoe County. For purposes of this regulation, a commercial marijuana store is considered as counting toward this limit whether the store is licensed for medical sales only, retail sales only, or both medical and retail sales.
Full Breakdown
C specifically carves out an exception. That is functionally an opt-out, the county has chosen prohibition as its default rather than licensing new marijuana businesses. 1, and it is closed to new entrants: a store only qualifies if it was licensed by the State of Colorado and operating under the county's Marijuana Licensing Policy as of August 1, 2022. a then hard-caps the total at no more than four commercial marijuana stores operating in unincorporated Arapahoe County at any time, counting a store toward that limit whether it is licensed for medical sales, retail sales, or both, and counting each location separately even where multiple stores share common ownership.
b allows an existing store to relocate or be replaced by another store elsewhere in the county, provided the total never exceeds the four-store cap and the new location clears a separate set of zoning and distance tests. 2, capped at twelve plants per dwelling unit.
Violations & Fines
Operating an unlicensed marijuana business, growing, selling or distributing marijuana anywhere in unincorporated Arapahoe County outside the narrow § 3-3.5.C exception, or operating a sixth or later commercial marijuana store beyond the four-store cap in § 3-3.5.C.1.a, is a Land Development Code violation enforced through the county's Code Compliance process, in addition to any separate state licensing consequences under the Colorado Marijuana Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a new marijuana dispensary in unincorporated Arapahoe County?
How many commercial marijuana stores can operate in the unincorporated county?
Has Arapahoe County effectively opted out of marijuana businesses?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Arapahoe County
Compare Arapahoe County to another location·View the Colorado cannabis regulations overview
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