Modesto allows up to 10 retail cannabis dispensaries citywide, restricted to specific commercial and industrial zones. Dispensaries must observe buffer distances from schools, parks, libraries, and residential uses, and are entirely banned from the downtown overlay area.
Modesto Municipal Code Title 10, Chapter 3, Article 7 (§ 10-3.703 et seq.), adopted via Ordinances 3683-C.S. and 3684-C.S. (effective February 15, 2018), permits commercial cannabis retail dispensaries in C-2, C-3, C-M, M-1, and M-2 zoning districts only. Required buffers: 600 feet from schools, daycare centers, and youth centers; 200 feet from parks and libraries; 100 feet from residential property. No commercial cannabis activity is permitted within the Downtown Cannabis Prohibition Overlay. Retail dispensaries are capped at 10 citywide. Delivery operations require a separate city permit (§ 10-3.713). The city requires a commercial cannabis permit and state license.
Operating without a city permit or outside permitted zones is unlawful; violations subject to permit revocation, administrative fines, and criminal prosecution.
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