Chino Hills, CA Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Ban covers
- every zoning district citywide
- Entitlements barred
- no CUP, variance, or permit
- Licensing-title mirror
- Section 5.28.020
- State licenses
- do not override the local ban
- Indoor personal grow
- 6 plants max, one residence
- Outdoor cultivation
- banned regardless of purpose
- Violation penalty
- misdemeanor, up to $1,000 / 6 months
Summary
Chino Hills has fully opted out of commercial cannabis: Municipal Code Section 16.92.020 prohibits any commercial marijuana activity, marijuana establishment, or marijuana-related activity in every zoning district and specific plan area citywide, and bars the city from issuing any use permit, variance, building permit, or other entitlement for such a business.
The establishment or operation of any commercial marijuana activity, marijuana-related activity, or marijuana establishment, including any business licensed by the state or other government entity pursuant to Division 10 of the Business & Professions Code, as it may be amended from time to time, is prohibited in all zoning districts and specific plan areas of the City. No use permit, variance, building permit, or any other entitlement or permit, whether administrative or discretionary, can be approved or issued for the establishment or operation of any such business or activity.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
020 states the prohibition applies in all zoning districts and specific plan areas of the City, and that no discretionary or administrative entitlement, including a conditional use permit, variance, or building permit, can be issued for the use. 020, which bars issuing any license for a marijuana cultivation facility, product manufacturing facility, testing facility, delivery business, storage facility, retail store, or any other commercial marijuana activity within the city. 020, so a state cannabis retail, delivery, or manufacturing license does not authorize operation inside city limits.
2, while outdoor cultivation is banned citywide regardless of purpose. 050 both state the intent to prohibit marijuana-related uses to the maximum extent state law allows, while disclaiming any attempt to prohibit conduct the city is expressly preempted from reaching, an acknowledgment that the ban tracks the limits of California's preemption framework rather than exceeding it.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 16.92 carries no standalone penalty section, so an unpermitted cannabis operation is enforced as a code violation under Section 1.36.010: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in county jail, or both, with each day of continued operation charged as a separate offense. The city may also pursue the site as a public nuisance under Section 1.36.040 or issue an administrative citation under Chapter 1.18.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there any zone in Chino Hills where a dispensary can open?
Does a California state cannabis license override the local ban?
Can a resident grow marijuana at home?
What happens if someone operates a dispensary anyway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chino Hills
California rules heatmap·Compare Chino Hills to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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Dispensary Zoning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle dispensary zoning.