Kenton County, KY Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Kenton County Code § 116.01-116.02
- Rule
- All cannabis businesses banned countywide
- Adopted
- Ord. 451.22, passed July 9, 2024
- Definitions source
- KRS 218B.010, adopted by reference
- Zoning path
- None; no district allows the use
- Default penalty
- Up to $250 per offense, § 10.99
Summary
Kenton County's Fiscal Court has prohibited every cannabis business from operating anywhere within the county under § 116.02, adopted July 9, 2024. The ban applies countywide and uses the state's own definitions of cannabis businesses from KRS 218B.010, so there is no path to a dispensary, cultivator, or processor license inside county limits.
§ 116.01 DEFINITIONS. The Fiscal Court hereby adopts by reference the definitions found within KRS 218B.010 as if fully set forth herein for purposes of this chapter. (Ord. 451.22, passed 7-9-24) § 116.02 PROHIBITION. All cannabis businesses are hereby prohibited from operating within the territorial limits of the county. (Ord. 451.22, passed 7-9-24)
Full Breakdown
Chapter 116 of the Kenton County Code of Ordinances, added by Ord. 451.22 on July 9, 2024, addresses cannabis businesses in two short sections. Section 116.01 adopts by reference the definitions in KRS 218B.010, the state medical cannabis statute, so 'cannabis business' carries the same meaning the Commonwealth uses for dispensaries, cultivators, processors, safety compliance facilities, and producers. Section 116.02 then states the rule in full: 'All cannabis businesses are hereby prohibited from operating within the territorial limits of the county.' That is a blanket ban, not a licensing scheme, a buffer, or a zoning overlay: the ordinance does not create any district, distance rule, or permit process where a cannabis business could locate, because none may operate at all.
The Fiscal Court passed the ban the same year Kentucky's medical cannabis program took effect, exercising local opt-out authority. Kenton County Code Chapter 116 contains no severability carve-out, no sunset date, and no application or appeal process, because the chapter does not regulate cannabis businesses, it excludes them. Anyone asking where a dispensary can locate in unincorporated Kenton County gets the same answer for every parcel: nowhere. Incorporated cities inside the county, including Covington and Independence, are separate legislative bodies and are not bound by this county ordinance; each sets its own cannabis policy under its own code.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 116 does not set its own penalty, so a violation falls under the county's general penalty at § 10.99: any act made unlawful by the code with no specific penalty is a violation punishable by a fine of not more than $250 per offense. Operating a cannabis business in unincorporated Kenton County also risks separate enforcement under the county's occupational licensing and land-use authority, since no license or zoning approval for such use exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a licensed medical cannabis dispensary open in Kenton County?
Is there a zoning district where a cannabis business is allowed in Kenton County?
When did Kenton County ban cannabis businesses?
Does the county ban apply inside Covington or Independence?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kenton County
Compare Kenton County to another location·View the Kentucky cannabis regulations overview
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