Okaloosa County, FL Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)

Florida's medical marijuana law preempts most local regulation of treatment centers, but Fla. Stat. § 381.986(11)(b) carves out zoning authority: a county may ban dispensing facilities outright, or it may instead set the criteria for where they locate and what permits they need in the unincorporated area. Okaloosa County chose the second path. Rather than banning dispensaries, the Board of County Commissioners adopted Land Development Code § 2.20.10 (Ord. No. 17-12, § 6, adopted July 11, 2017), which layers county-specific performance standards on top of state licensing.

Under § 2.20.10, a medical marijuana dispensing facility or treatment center cannot operate a drive-through or drive-in service aisle, and cannot dispense through mobile vending; every sale must happen inside the facility, though delivery to a registered patient or caregiver is still allowed. Consumption of marijuana is banned anywhere on the premises, including the parking areas, sidewalks, and rights-of-way around the building, not just inside. The site's sole permitted use is the licensed dispensing activity itself: no other goods or services may be sold, and the section defines "premises" to reach a single leased stall inside a larger multi-tenant building, so a facility cannot piggyback other retail into the same suite.

Every owner must obtain a business tax receipt from the Okaloosa County Tax Collector before opening, on top of the state license issued by the Florida Department of Health. State law caps what the county can charge: under § 381.986(11)(b)2, the fee cannot exceed what the county charges a licensed pharmacy for the same kind of permit, and the siting criteria themselves cannot be more restrictive than the county's pharmacy-location rules. Growth Management's Code Enforcement Division and the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office both have authority to enforce § 2.20.10.