Tulare County, CA Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)

Section 5-11-2010(a) opens with a flat prohibition: commercial cannabis activities are prohibited in the unincorporated areas, and only State-licensed 'M-licensees' who meet the listed requirements are exempted. Subsection (a)(2) caps each M-licensee to no more than one Premises license of each type in the unincorporated county: Type 1A (specialty indoor cultivation, small), Type 4 (nursery), a 'Processor' license, and Type 10 (retailer), meaning a single operator cannot stack multiple retail storefronts. Cultivation is separately capped at 99 plants per Premises under subsection (a)(3), and deliveries originating from an unincorporated-county Premises are prohibited under subsection (a)(4), though deliveries from licensees based outside the unincorporated area may still be received there.

Subsection (a)(5) sets physical siting standards: activity must occur inside a fully enclosed, secure structure whose exterior is compatible with the surrounding area, that is locked and alarmed per Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, lit to identify anyone at 40 feet, secured with entry bars but quick-release interior latches, and designed so cannabis, products and the activity itself are never visible from the exterior and no odor or smoke reaches an adjoining property or public area. Subsection (a)(7) layers on Ordinance No. 352's Zoning Ordinance Section 15.3 and every applicable county building, fire, electrical, mechanical and plumbing code. Personal, noncommercial cultivation is regulated separately under § 5-11-2000, capped at six adult-use plants per residence regardless of household size, and is likewise confined to an indoor or fully enclosed accessory structure in the rear yard.