Paramount, CA Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning status
- Commercial cannabis prohibited in all zones
- Entitlements
- No permit, license or conditional approval can issue
- Delivery and transport
- Both prohibited under § 5.68.030(D) and (E)
- Landlords
- Cannot lease to commercial cannabis businesses
- Indoor cultivation
- Six or fewer plants, single private residence only
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor or infraction; each day a separate violation
Summary
The City of Paramount, California prohibits commercial cannabis activity, including dispensaries and any operation that needs a State license under Business and Professions Code Section 26050, in all zones. No permit, license or other entitlement can be issued. The only cannabis use the chapter allows is indoor cultivation of six or fewer plants inside a single private residence.
A. Cannabis Operations, Uses, and/or Activities Requiring a State License. Any cannabis operation, use, and/or activity for which a State license is required under California Business and Professions Code Section 26050, as that section may be amended from time to time, is prohibited in all zones within the City's jurisdictional limits. ... B. Commercial Cannabis Activity. Pursuant to authority granted under California Business and Professions Code Section 26200, as that section may be amended from time to time, commercial cannabis activity, defined in Section 5.68.020, and any and all associated business and/or operational activities and uses, is/are prohibited in all zones within the City's jurisdictional limits. No person shall establish, operate, maintain, conduct, or allow any commercial cannabis activity anywhere within the City. No permit, license, or other entitlement or authorization, whether conditional or otherwise, shall be issued for the establishment of such use.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 5.68 of the Paramount Municipal Code states its purpose in § 5.68.020: to expressly prohibit commercial cannabis activities, cannabis deliveries and the outdoor cultivation of cannabis in any zone within the jurisdictional limits of the City of Paramount to the fullest extent authorized by State law. Section 5.68.030(A) prohibits any operation, use or activity for which a State license is required under Business and Professions Code Section 26050 in all zones, and subsection B, citing Business and Professions Code Section 26200, prohibits commercial cannabis activity anywhere within the City. Neither subsection allows a conditional route: no permit, license or other entitlement, whether conditional or otherwise, can be issued.
The definition of dispensary in § 5.68.010 closes the labeling loophole. It covers any facility or location, fixed or mobile, where cannabis is sold, distributed or made available, and the terms clinic, cooperative, collective, cannabis establishment and microbusiness have the same meaning. Licensed health facilities and residential care uses listed in the definition are not dispensaries if they comply strictly with applicable law and the Zoning Ordinance.
Other subsections extend the ban. Subsection C bars a property owner from renting or leasing property to any business engaged in commercial cannabis activity. Subsections D and E prohibit cannabis delivery and transportation, and subsection F prohibits outdoor cultivation in all zones. Subsection G preserves indoor cultivation of six or fewer living cannabis plants, permitted only within a single private residence and subject to Chapter 17.108, Cannabis Cultivation, Indoor. Section 5.68.040 adds that the City's permissive zoning in Title 17 prohibits any use not expressly permitted, so cannabis retail cannot be read into another listed use.
Violations & Fines
Under § 5.68.060, a person who knowingly or willfully violates Chapter 5.68 is guilty of a misdemeanor or infraction in the City Attorney's discretion, punishable under § 1.04.150. Section 5.68.050 declares any violating operation a public nuisance subject to abatement, with each day a separate violation. Remedies are cumulative, and in a civil action the City recovers attorney's fees and costs of suit, including witness fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a cannabis dispensary open anywhere in the City of Paramount?
Does calling a business a collective or microbusiness avoid the Paramount ban?
Can a Paramount landlord lease space to a cannabis business?
Can Paramount residents grow cannabis at home?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Paramount
California rules heatmap·Compare Paramount to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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