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Thurston County, WA Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Producer/processor zones
Planned Industrial Park, Light Industrial, Rural Resource Industrial, Rural Commercial Center
Retailer zones
Rural Commercial Center, Arterial Commercial, Highway Commercial, Rural Resource Industrial
Opt-out status
County has not opted out; zoning-limited, not banned
Applies to
Unincorporated Thurston County only
Adopted
Ordinance No. 15724, effective December 11, 2018
Permitting
Site plan review required under Chapter 20.37

Summary

Thurston County has not opted out of state-legal marijuana: Thurston County Code Section 20.63.040 permits producers and processors only in the Planned Industrial Park, Light Industrial, Rural Resource Industrial and Rural Commercial Center districts, and confines retailers to the Rural Commercial Center, Arterial Commercial, Highway Commercial and Rural Resource Industrial districts. Every other unincorporated zoning district, including residential, is off-limits.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Thurston County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

1.Marijuana producers and processors shall be permitted in the following non-residential zoning districts:a.Chapter 20.27 Planned Industrial Park District (PI)b.Chapter 20.28 Light Industrial District (LI)c.Chapter 20.29 Rural Resource Industrial District (RRI)d.Chapter 20.24 Rural Commercial Center District (RCC)2.Marijuana retailers shall be permitted in the following non-residential zoning districts:a.Chapter 20.24 Rural Commercial Center District (RCC)b.Chapter 20.25 Arterial Commercial District (AC)c.Chapter 20.26 Highway Commercial District (HC)d.Chapter 20.29 Rural Resource Industrial District (RRI)

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 77).

Full Breakdown

040, enacted by Ordinance No. 50 RCW and the state liquor and cannabis board's rules. The section splits the use into two lists. 24. 29). 020; incorporated cities such as Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater set their own marijuana zoning separately. 060. That review triggers a notice of application to property owners within 500 feet for outdoor production areas and for any producer or processor on a legal lot of ten acres or less. 050(3) at a minimum 300-foot separation from any other retailer.

Violations & Fines

A marijuana producer, processor or retailer proposed outside its permitted district cannot pass the mandatory site plan review Section 20.63.060 requires under Chapter 20.37, so the county's resource stewardship department will not issue the land use or building approvals needed to open. An operation established in an unauthorized zone is subject to Thurston County's general Title 26 code enforcement process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Has Thurston County banned marijuana businesses?
No. Thurston County Code Section 20.63.040 permits state-licensed marijuana producers, processors and retailers, but confines them to specific non-residential zoning districts rather than allowing them countywide. The county regulates location, buffers and screening instead of prohibiting the use outright.
Which zoning districts allow a marijuana retail store in Thurston County?
Section 20.63.040(2) permits marijuana retailers in the Rural Commercial Center, Arterial Commercial, Highway Commercial and Rural Resource Industrial Districts. A retailer must also clear the 1,000-foot youth-entity buffer and 300-foot retailer-to-retailer separation set out in Sections 20.63.045 and 20.63.050 before it can open.
Can a marijuana producer or processor locate in a residential zone?
No. Section 20.63.040(1) limits producers and processors to the Planned Industrial Park, Light Industrial, Rural Resource Industrial and Rural Commercial Center Districts, all non-residential. Every other zoning district in unincorporated Thurston County, including residential districts, is not on the permitted list.
Does this zoning rule apply inside Olympia or Lacey?
No. Section 20.63.020 limits Chapter 20.63, including the Section 20.63.040 zoning list, to unincorporated Thurston County. Marijuana zoning inside incorporated cities such as Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater is set by each city's own municipal code, not by this county chapter.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Thurston County

Buffer ZonesSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Barking DogsSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Loading ZonesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Driveway RulesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Abandoned VehiclesSome RestrictionsFence Regulations: Retaining WallsSome RestrictionsAnimal Ordinances: Cat RulesSome Restrictions

All Thurston County rules

Compare Thurston County to another location·View the Washington cannabis regulations overview

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