Calaveras County, CA Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Where allowed
- CP (Professional Office) zone only
- Buffer from parks/schools/day care/library
- 1,000 feet, property line to property line
- Permit required
- Cannabis retailer administrative use permit
- Non-storefront/delivery-only retailers
- Prohibited
- Daily fine for non-compliance
- $1,000 per day
Summary
Calaveras County bans cannabis retailers everywhere except the CP Professional Office zone, and even there a retailer needs a county administrative use permit and must sit at least 1,000 feet from any park, K-12 school, day care, youth center, or county library branch.
All cannabis retailers, except as provided in this chapter, are unlawful in all zoning districts and a public nuisance that may be abated and subject to enforcement pursuant to Section 17.17.130, Enforcement; Fines; Liability to Pay Costs and Fines, and Chapter 8.06, Property Maintenance and Administrative Enforcement Procedures, of the Calaveras County Code, or, without limitation, as otherwise permitted by law. ... B.Cannabis retailers shall be located only in the CP (professional office) zoning district.C.Cannabis retailers shall provide separation of one thousand feet from the property line from any of the following uses in existence at the time the initial application is deemed complete. ... 1.A park.2.A school providing instruction in kindergarten or any grades one through 12, as defined by Health and Safety Code Section 11362.768(h).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
17, are unlawful in every zoning district in the county and constitute a public nuisance subject to abatement. 30. Subsection B confines where that permit can even be sought: cannabis retailers may be located only in the CP, Professional Office, zoning district, nowhere else in the county. Subsection C then layers a locational buffer on top of the zone restriction: a retailer must maintain 1,000 feet of separation, measured property line to property line, from a park, a K-12 school, a day care center or family day care home, a youth center, or the County Central Library and any of its branches.
A permitted retailer is also confined to a narrow list of allowed activities, retail sales under a Type 10 state license, deliveries, and limited self-distribution or cultivation tied to its own state license, and non-storefront, delivery-only retailers are separately prohibited under subsection F. 06 property maintenance violations.
Violations & Fines
Operating a cannabis retailer outside the CP zone, without a validated administrative use permit, or inside the 1,000-foot buffer from a park, school, day care, youth center, or library is a misdemeanor under Section 17.17.130, subject to injunction, abatement, or other civil or criminal remedy. Violators face a $1,000-per-day fine after a notice of violation and order to abate goes unmet, and no warning is required before enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can a cannabis retailer legally operate in Calaveras County?
How far must a cannabis retailer stay from a school or park?
What happens if a cannabis retailer operates without the county permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Calaveras County
California rules heatmap·Compare Calaveras County to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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