Piscataway, NJ Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted
- June 10, 2021, Ord. No. 2021-14
- Banned uses
- cultivator, manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer
- Also banned
- distributors and delivery services
- Medical sales
- expressly prohibited, not just recreational
- Geographic scope
- entire Township, all zoning districts
- Governing act
- P.L. 2021, c. 16, § 31b (CREAMMA)
Summary
Piscataway Township opted out entirely under the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act. Township Code § 3-28.1 bars cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, distributors and delivery services from operating anywhere in Piscataway, closing the door on both medical and recreational retail sales townwide.
Pursuant to Section 31b of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act ( P. L. 2021, c. 16) ( the " Act"), cannabis establishments (defined in Section 3 of the Act as "a cannabis cultivator, a cannabis manufacturer, a cannabis wholesaler, or a cannabis retailer"), cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services are hereby prohibited from operating anywhere in the Township of Piscataway. Retail sales of both medical and recreational cannabis are prohibited.
Full Breakdown
Piscataway Township opted out of allowing any cannabis business under Section 3-28.1 of the Township Code, adopted June 10, 2021, by Ordinance No. 2021-14. The ordinance invokes Section 31b of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act, P.L. 2021, c. 16, and bars, township-wide, the categories of state-licensed cannabis establishment defined in Section 3 of the Act: cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. The Code separately names cannabis distributors and cannabis delivery services, prohibiting both from operating anywhere within Piscataway. The ban is not confined to a single zoning district; it reaches the entire Township, so no property, whether zoned commercial, industrial or residential, can host a licensed cultivation site, manufacturing facility, wholesale operation or retail storefront.
The ordinance expressly states that retail sales of both medical and recreational cannabis are prohibited, so Piscataway's opt-out covers the state's medical dispensary program as well as adult-use retail. Because the prohibition was adopted under the Act's municipal opt-out mechanism, it operates as a Chapter 3 police-power ordinance, separate from the Township's zoning use regulations in Chapter 21.
Violations & Fines
Section 3-28.1 sets no separate fine schedule of its own; because every category of cannabis business is barred outright, there is no permit or zoning path to approve one. Piscataway's Zoning Officer and Code Enforcement have no application to grant for a cultivator, retailer, distributor or delivery service, and any operation found running in the Township is handled through the Code's general unlicensed-business and zoning-enforcement provisions rather than a cannabis-specific penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a cannabis dispensary in Piscataway?
Does the ban cover medical cannabis too?
Are cannabis delivery services allowed to drop off orders in Piscataway?
When did Piscataway adopt this cannabis ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Piscataway
Compare Piscataway to another location·View the New Jersey cannabis regulations overview
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Dispensary Zoning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle dispensary zoning.