Carroll County, MD Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)

Rather than opting out of cannabis retail, Carroll County's zoning code regulates where a licensed dispensary can operate. 050 before opening, the same review track used for other commercial site plans. 05 requires for licensed cannabis facilities, must also meet the county's standard site plan lighting requirements. 059(E) states flatly that no variances from any requirement in the section will be granted, closing off the Board of Zoning Appeals route that other uses can use to soften a siting requirement. Dispensaries also cannot sell product under a temporary zoning certificate, the same mechanism that lets seasonal stands and pop-up sales operate elsewhere in the county, so a dispensary must hold a permanent zoning approval, not a temporary one.

059(G) prohibits combining a dispensary with an on-site consumption establishment anywhere in the county, meaning Carroll County does not allow cannabis lounges or on-premises consumption rooms attached to a retail dispensary, regardless of the zoning district or distance from sensitive uses. Distance separation requirements from schools, parks, and other dispensaries, along with a 100-foot residential buffer, are set out in the same section and apply on top of these siting and approval rules.