Navajo County, AZ Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Dispensary districts
- Commercial-Residential and Industrial IND-1/IND-2 only
- Permit required
- Special Use Permit from the Board of Supervisors
- Cultivation (patient/caregiver)
- Permitted in any zoning district
- Offsite cultivation districts
- A-General, C-R, IND-1/IND-2 with SUP
- State overlay
- Must comply with A.R.S. Title 36, Chapter 28.2
- Application requirement
- Proof ADHS accepted the dispensary registration application
Summary
In unincorporated Navajo County, Arizona (outside tribal land and the six incorporated towns), marijuana dispensaries may locate only in the Commercial-Residential (C-R) or Industrial (IND-1, IND-2) zoning district, and only after the Board of Supervisors' Special Use Permit process. Cultivation for a qualifying patient or caregiver is allowed in any zoning district under Arizona Department of Health Services rules.
1. Medical marijuana qualifying patient cultivation locations and medical marijuana designated caregiver cultivation locations shall be permitted in any zoning district, subject to all rules adopted by the Arizona Department of Health Services. 2. Marijuana dispensaries shall be allowed in the Commercial-Residential (C-R) and Industrial (IND-1 and IND-2) zoning districts only, subject to securing a Special Use Permit. 3. Marijuana dispensary offsite cultivation location facilities shall be allowed in the AGeneral, Commercial-Residential (C-R), and Industrial (IND-1 and IND-2) zoning districts only, subject to securing a Special Use Permit.
Full Breakdown
Section 1101 sorts marijuana uses by activity rather than treating the whole industry the same way. A qualifying patient's or designated caregiver's medical marijuana cultivation location is permitted in any zoning district countywide, subject only to the rules the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) applies to that registration. A marijuana dispensary, by contrast, is confined to the C-R and IND-1/IND-2 districts and cannot open without first securing a Special Use Permit (SUP) from the county, the same discretionary permit the ordinance uses for kennels, bed and breakfasts and other higher-impact uses.
A dispensary's own offsite cultivation location gets a third, slightly wider footprint: it is allowed in A-General as well as C-R and IND-1/IND-2, again only with an SUP. S. 2. Section 1103 adds a paperwork gate specific to Navajo County: an SUP application for a dispensary must include a copy of the applicant's ADHS dispensary-registration-certificate application and proof ADHS has accepted it, and an application for a marijuana establishment must show the applicant applied to ADHS for the dual medical/adult-use license; the county rejects an SUP application outright if that evidence is missing.
Violations & Fines
Operating a dispensary or offsite cultivation site outside the C-R/IND-1/IND-2 districts, or without an approved Special Use Permit, is a zoning violation a Code Enforcement Officer can cite under Section 2103. Section 2105 routes unresolved cases to the County Attorney's Office, and the Zoning Hearing Officer can assess civil penalties under A.R.S. §§ 11-815 and 11-866 and withhold any county permit for the parcel under Section 2107.2 until the violation is cured.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can a marijuana dispensary open in unincorporated Navajo County?
Can a medical marijuana patient grow their own plants anywhere?
What must a dispensary include with its Special Use Permit application?
Does a dispensary's offsite cultivation site face the same district limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Navajo County
Compare Navajo County to another location·View the Arizona cannabis regulations overview
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