Solano County, CA Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Ban Scope
- Commercial cannabis prohibited in all zoning districts
- Governing Section
- Solano County Code § 28.70.20(C)(1)
- Enforcement
- Treated as zoning violation and public nuisance
- Applies To
- Unincorporated county only, not the seven cities
- Adopting Ordinance
- Ord. No. 1736 §4, amended by Ord. No. 1799
Summary
Solano County's zoning ordinance prohibits commercial cannabis activities in every zoning district in the unincorporated county, opting out of licensed dispensaries, cultivation, manufacturing, and delivery businesses under Section 28.70.20(C)(1). The ban applies countywide regardless of the underlying zone, and unpermitted operations are declared a public nuisance under the same section.
A. Public Nuisance. Any use of buildings or land not authorized by this chapter, or which has not been authorized in the manner required by this chapter, is prohibited and is declared to be a public nuisance.
B. Land Uses Prohibited in Some Zoning Districts. In addition to land uses expressly prohibited in the version of Table A applicable to a zoning district, any use of buildings or land within a zoning district that is not listed in the version of Table A applicable to that zoning district is prohibited.
C. Land Uses Prohibited in All Zoning Districts.
1. Commercial cannabis activities.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 1868, passed April 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
20 lists land uses prohibited outright anywhere in the unincorporated county, separate from uses barred only in specific zoning districts under Table A. " Because the prohibition sits in the "Prohibited in All Zoning Districts" subsection rather than a district table, no rezoning, use permit, or variance can authorize a dispensary, cultivation operation, manufacturing site, distribution facility, or delivery-only cannabis business anywhere in the unincorporated county, including the A, A-20, and A-40 agricultural districts that cover most of Solano's land outside the seven incorporated cities.
The ban was adopted by Ordinance No. 1736, Section 4, and amended by Ordinance No. 1799, Section 2, making Solano one of the counties that opted entirely out of the state's Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act licensing scheme rather than adopting a local permit program. Subsection (A) separately declares that any use of land not authorized by Chapter 28 is a public nuisance, so an unpermitted cannabis operation is enforceable both as a zoning violation and as a nuisance under the county's abatement procedures.
Residents inside Fairfield, Vacaville, Vallejo, Benicia, Suisun City, Dixon, or Rio Vista are governed by that city's own municipal code, not this county ordinance, since those are separate incorporated jurisdictions with independent land-use authority, and some of them permit licensed cannabis retail while the unincorporated county does not.
Violations & Fines
A commercial cannabis operation found anywhere in the unincorporated county is a zoning violation and a declared public nuisance under Section 28.70.20(A). The Department of Resource Management can pursue abatement, and the county's nuisance-abatement and administrative penalty procedures in Chapter 10 apply; because no zoning district authorizes the use, there is no variance, use permit, or conditional approval path to legalize an existing operation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a cannabis dispensary in unincorporated Solano County?
Does the ban apply inside Fairfield or Vacaville?
What happens if someone operates a cannabis business anyway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Solano County
California rules heatmap·Compare Solano County to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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