Louisville, KY Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed zones
- C-2 and C-3 only
- Permit required
- Conditional Use Permit
- School/day care buffer
- 1,000 feet, no relief
- Hours
- 8 AM to 8 PM
- Parking
- 3 spaces per 1,000 sq ft
Summary
Louisville Metro allows medicinal cannabis dispensaries only in C-2 or C-3 zones with a Conditional Use Permit, an 8 AM to 8 PM operating window, and a 1,000-foot buffer from schools and child care centers.
A Medicinal Cannabis Safety Compliance Facility or Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary may be allowed in a C-2 or C-3 district upon the granting of a Conditional Use Permit... A Safety Compliance Facility or Dispensary shall be not located within 1,000 feet of the boundary of any parcel occupied by any of the following uses... elementary, middle or high schools... Child Care Center. This separation is required by KRS and is not subject to relief... The hours of operation for a Dispensary shall be no earlier than eight (8) A.M. and no later than eight (8) P.M.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-47: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinances passed by the Council and approved by the Mayor as of July 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under the Land Development Code, a Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary may locate in a C-2 or C-3 zoning district only after Metro grants a Conditional Use Permit. The dispensary cannot sit within 1,000 feet of any parcel used for K-12 education or a child care center, measured parcel line to parcel line: a buffer the code says is set by state law (KRS) and not subject to relief. All sales activity must happen indoors in a secure building, not a mobile or temporary structure. Hours run no earlier than 8 AM and no later than 8 PM, and the site needs at least 3 off-street parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of retail floor area plus a secure loading area for transport vehicles. A dispensary cannot share a site or office with a cultivation, processing, or practitioner operation, and it cannot open before the state issues its own license under KRS 218B.140.
Violations & Fines
Operating a dispensary without the Conditional Use Permit, outside a C-2/C-3 district, within the 1,000-foot school/child-care buffer, or before state licensure violates the Land Development Code and risks a stop-work order or code enforcement action by Louisville Metro.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a dispensary open anywhere in Louisville Metro?
How close can a dispensary be to a school?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Louisville
Compare Louisville to another location·View the Kentucky cannabis regulations overview
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