Manitou Springs, CO Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Eligible zone
- Only north/east of US 24, south of El Paso Blvd
- Citywide cap
- Maximum two dual medical-retail operations at once
- Dual operation
- No stand-alone medical or retail marijuana store
- Extra approval
- Major conditional use hearing under Chapter 18.30 required
- Cultivation
- Growing and manufacturing marijuana banned citywide
Summary
Manitou Springs confines every medical marijuana center and retail marijuana store to one narrow slice of the commercial zone district, north and east of US Highway 24 and south of El Paso Boulevard to the city's eastern boundary, and caps the whole city at two dual medical-and-retail operations at any time under Section 5.09.100.
A.Zone District Limitation. Medical marijuana centers, retail marijuana stores and retail marijuana testing facilities shall only be located in the portion of the commercial zone district located north and east of US Highway 24, and south of El Paso Boulevard to the city's eastern boundary. ... B.Dual Operation Requirement. No more than two medical marijuana centers and retail marijuana stores, operating as dual operations, may be licensed and located within the city at any given time. Neither a medical marijuana center nor a retail marijuana store may operate as a stand-alone establishment and shall only be a dual operation as defined in Section 5.09.040 and permitted in Section 5.09.060.
Full Breakdown
100(A) of the Manitou Springs Municipal Code confines medical marijuana centers, retail marijuana stores and retail marijuana testing facilities to a single defined slice of the commercial zone district: the portion lying north and east of US Highway 24 and south of El Paso Boulevard to the city's eastern boundary. Nowhere else in Manitou Springs, including the rest of the commercial zone along Manitou Avenue closer to downtown, qualifies. 060. When the two-license cap is full, subsection C closes the door to new applications until an existing license is revoked or expires, then the city posts a sixty-day open application window on its website and, if more than one complete application comes in, awards the opening through a random selection process rather than first-come or competitive review.
30 before a license issues, layering a discretionary land-use hearing on top of the licensing process. 070, so a licensed store in the eligible zone can sell marijuana grown and processed elsewhere but cannot grow or manufacture it on site.
Violations & Fines
Operating a medical marijuana center or retail marijuana store outside the designated commercial zone, or beyond the two-license citywide cap, means the local licensing authority cannot issue a license at all under Section 5.09.100. Operating without one is punished under Chapter 5.09's violations section as set out in Chapter 1.16 of the code and is separately declared a public nuisance enforceable in Manitou Springs Municipal Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where in Manitou Springs can a marijuana dispensary open?
How many marijuana stores can operate in Manitou Springs?
What happens when a marijuana license opens up in Manitou Springs?
Can a Manitou Springs dispensary grow its own marijuana?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manitou Springs
Compare Manitou Springs to another location·View the Colorado cannabis regulations overview
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Dispensary Zoning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in El Paso County handle dispensary zoning.