Contra Costa County, CA Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)

Chapter 88-28 makes commercial cannabis activity unlawful everywhere in the unincorporated county unless it is expressly authorized and permitted under the chapter, per Section 88-28.204(a); temporary cannabis events are banned outright in every zoning district. For businesses that do qualify, Section 88-28.410(b) layers on two location rules that apply county-wide: no commercial cannabis activity of any kind may be sited within a cannabis exclusion (-CE) combining district, and every activity must sit inside the urban limit line established under Chapter 82-1, with narrow exceptions for outdoor cultivation, which must be at least one mile outside the line, indoor cultivation in an agricultural zone, and manufacturing.

Retail is the most restricted use. Section 88-28.412(a) confines a cannabis retailer to six zoning districts outside a -CE district: planned unit development (P-1) where the development plan allows retailers, retail-business (R-B), general commercial (C), controlled manufacturing (C-M), light industrial (L-I), and heavy industrial (H-I); no retailer may sit outside the urban limit line at all. A retailer's storefront hours are also capped, running no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and no later than 9:00 p.m.

Every commercial cannabis permit runs through the Department of Conservation and Development, carries an initial five-year term, and can be renewed for additional five-year terms one at a time under Section 88-28.424.