Benton County, WA Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Retail sale
- Prohibited in all unincorporated zoning districts
- Production/processing
- Not allowed in any zoning district
- Medical exception
- Qualifying patients may grow inside a single-family home
- Cooperatives
- Marijuana growing cooperatives are not allowed
- Enforcement
- Sheriff has concurrent authority with Planning/Building
- First violation penalty
- Civil penalty up to $500, BCC 11.43.170
Summary
Benton County prohibits retail marijuana sales in every unincorporated zoning district under BCC 11.42.130(c); marijuana production and processing are barred too, except that qualifying medical patients and their designated providers may grow marijuana inside a single-family home.
11.42.130 PROHIBITION AND REGULATION OF MARIJUANA RELATED ACTIVITIES. (a) Growing Marijuana by Individual Qualifying Patients and Designated Providers - Allowed. Growing marijuana by qualifying patients and designated providers for medical marijuana use and not as part of a cooperative or as marijuana production or marijuana processing is allowable as an accessory/ancillary use in all zoning districts if all activities associated with such growing occur within a single-family dwelling. (b) Marijuana Production, Growing Marijuana for Medical Purposes and Marijuana Processing - Not Allowed... marijuana production, growing of marijuana for medical purposes and marijuana processing are not allowed in any zoning district... (c) The retail sale of "marijuana" or "marijuana-infused products" at a "retail outlet"... is prohibited in all zoning districts.
Full Breakdown
130 draws a sharp line between personal medical use and commercial marijuana activity in unincorporated Benton County. Subsection (a) allows growing marijuana by individual qualifying patients and their designated providers for medical use as an accessory use in every zoning district, but only if all the growing activity happens inside a single-family dwelling and is not run as part of a cooperative. 250 are not allowed anywhere in the county. 50 and its implementing WAC regulations, is prohibited in all zoning districts. Because the ban runs district by district with no exception, there is no zone in unincorporated Benton County, agricultural, commercial, industrial or residential, where a licensed cannabis retailer, processor, or non-medical grow operation can locate.
The rule only reaches county land outside city limits; Kennewick, Richland, West Richland and Prosser set their own marijuana licensing and zoning rules for property inside those cities, some of which do allow licensed retailers.
Violations & Fines
Operating a marijuana production, processing, or retail-sale use in an unincorporated zoning district violates BCC 11.42.130 and is enforced as a Title 11 infraction: a first violation carries a civil penalty of up to $500 plus court costs and restitution under BCC 11.43.170, and a second violation of the same rule is a misdemeanor. The Benton County Sheriff has concurrent enforcement authority over the marijuana provisions alongside the Planning Administrator and Building Official under BCC 11.43.010(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a marijuana dispensary open in unincorporated Benton County?
Can I grow my own marijuana for medical use at home?
Does this ban apply inside Kennewick or Richland?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Benton County
Compare Benton County to another location·View the Washington cannabis regulations overview
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