McHenry County, IL Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Dispensary zoning
- Conditional use in B-1/B-2/B-3
- Craft Grower/Cultivation zoning
- Permitted in A-1/A-2 agricultural
- Dispensary registration
- IL Dept. of Financial & Professional Regulation
- Grower/Cultivation registration
- IL Dept. of Agriculture
- Cultivation requirement
- Enclosed, locked facility
- Governing section
- UDO § 16.56.030CC
Summary
Unincorporated McHenry County lets cannabis businesses locate by type of zoning district. Dispensaries need a conditional use permit in the B-1, B-2 or B-3 business districts; Craft Growers and Cultivation Centers are permitted by right in the A-1 and A-2 agricultural districts under UDO § 16.56.030CC.
CC. Cannabis Dispensary, Cannabis Craft Growers, or Cannabis Cultivation Center. 1. All Cannabis Dispensaries, Craft Growers and Cultivation Centers shall comply with all state rules and regulations. 2. Cannabis Dispensaries shall comply with the following: a. Cannabis Dispensaries shall be registered by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. ... c. Cannabis Dispensaries shall implement appropriate security measures to deter and prevent the theft of cannabis and unauthorized entrance into areas containing cannabis. 3. Cannabis Craft Growers shall comply with the following: a. Cannabis Craft Growers shall be registered by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. b. Cannabis Craft Growers shall only be located within the Agricultural zoning districts...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-5: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. A25-0037, passed 8-19-2025 | State legislation current through ALS 2025 Pamphlet No. 1).
Full Breakdown
030CC set out where cannabis operations may sit in the unincorporated county. A Cannabis Dispensary is listed as a conditional use ("C") in the B-1 Neighborhood Business, B-2 Neighborhood Business and B-3 General Business Districts, meaning it must clear a conditional use permit hearing before the Zoning Board of Appeals rather than being allowed outright. Cannabis Craft Growers and Cannabis Cultivation Centers are listed as permitted ("P") uses in the A-1 and A-2 Agriculture Districts, and as conditional uses in several business and industrial districts (B-1, B-2, B-3, I-1, I-2 for Craft Growers).
a). c). 5). The county has not adopted an opt-out ordinance barring these uses; instead it channels them through its standard zoning-district and conditional-use-permit framework under Title 16.
Violations & Fines
Operating a dispensary, craft grower or cultivation center outside its listed zoning district, or without the required conditional use permit for a B-1/B-2/B-3 location, is a zoning code violation enforced by the McHenry County Zoning Enforcement Officer. Cultivation not kept in an enclosed, locked facility as required by CC.3.c/CC.4.c is likewise a code violation subject to the same enforcement process, which can include a stop-work order or referral for prosecution under the UDO's general zoning enforcement provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a cannabis dispensary open anywhere in unincorporated McHenry County?
Where can a cannabis craft grower or cultivation center locate?
Has McHenry County opted out of cannabis businesses?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in McHenry County
Compare McHenry County to another location·View the Illinois cannabis regulations overview
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