Pismo Beach, CA Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Dispensaries
- Not permitted within the city, § 9.06.020
- Other marijuana businesses
- Prohibited under § 9.07.020
- Carve-out
- Mobile delivery of medicinal marijuana in full legal compliance
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor unless city attorney charges an infraction
- Enforcement
- Each day separate offense, injunction available
Summary
In the City of Pismo Beach, California, a medical marijuana dispensary is not permitted anywhere in the city under § 9.06.020, and Chapter 9.07 prohibits outdoor cultivation, manufacture, processing, testing, labeling, storing and wholesale and retail distribution and sale of marijuana. The one carve-out is mobile delivery of medicinal marijuana in full compliance with applicable California law.
A "medical marijuana dispensary" is defined as any facility in a single fixed location where a primary caregiver makes available, sells, transmits, gives or otherwise provides medical marijuana, or cannabis, for medical purposes to two or more qualified patients or persons with an identification card in accordance with Health and Safety Code Section 11362.5. ... A medical marijuana dispensary shall not ... be permitted within the city. ... Except as otherwise required by California law, outdoor cultivation, manufacture, processing, laboratory testing, labeling, storing and wholesale and retail distribution and sale of marijuana is prohibited within the City. Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to prohibit the mobile delivery of medicinal marijuana in full compliance with applicable California law.
Full Breakdown
Pismo Beach handles cannabis businesses by prohibition, not by zoning districts. Chapter 9.06 defines a medical marijuana dispensary as any facility in a single fixed location where a primary caregiver makes available, sells, transmits, gives or otherwise provides medical marijuana or cannabis for medical purposes to two or more qualified patients or persons with an identification card. Section 9.06.020 then says a medical marijuana dispensary shall not be permitted within the city. Licensed clinics, health care facilities, residential care facilities, hospices and home health agencies are carved out of the dispensary definition under § 9.06.010, as long as they comply strictly with applicable California and federal law.
Chapter 9.07 widens the ban. Section 9.07.020 prohibits outdoor cultivation, manufacture, processing, laboratory testing, labeling, storing and wholesale and retail distribution and sale of marijuana within the City, except as otherwise required by California law. Mobile delivery of medicinal marijuana in full compliance with applicable California law is not prohibited. The purpose clause in § 9.07.010 cites Business and Professions Code Section 26200 as the authority for local ordinances governing marijuana-related businesses, including the power to completely prohibit them, and Health and Safety Code Section 11362.2 for prohibiting outdoor cultivation. It also says the chapter is not intended to interfere with a patient's right to obtain medical marijuana under Health and Safety Code Section 11362.5, and does not criminalize marijuana possession or cultivation as otherwise permitted under California law.
Because no district lists a cannabis business as an allowed use, there is no location to apply for: a would-be operator has no conditional use path in the text of either chapter. The code was current through Ordinance O-2026-001, passed February 3, 2026, and the two chapters quoted here date from 2007 (Ordinance 07-01) and 2017 (Ordinance O-2017-001).
Violations & Fines
Violation of Chapter 9.06 or 9.07 is a misdemeanor unless the city attorney authorizes an infraction citation or files the complaint as an infraction, or the court, on the city attorney's recommendation, treats it as an infraction. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense, and a violation is declared a public nuisance that gives the city a cause of action for injunctive relief.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a cannabis dispensary open in Pismo Beach?
Is cannabis delivery allowed in Pismo Beach?
Does the ban stop patients from having medical marijuana?
What happens to someone who violates the ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pismo Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Pismo Beach to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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