Pontiac, MI Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)

Article 3, Chapters 11 and 12 of the Zoning Ordinance create the MMOD and AUMOD frameworks 'to provide for the placement of medical marihuana-related uses' and adult-use marihuana businesses authorized under the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act, while minimizing impacts on neighbors (§§ 3.1101, 3.1201). Three MMOD overlays exist along Walton Boulevard, along Cesar Chavez, and within the C-2 Downtown District, each capped at five provisioning centers (§ 3.1108); medical uses outside those overlays need a Planning Commission special exception under § 3.1106.

Adult-use overlays, including the East Walton district, similarly cap permits per district, for example seven retailer or social equity retailer permits in Overlay District No. 1, while § 2.205(E) sets the citywide ceiling at 17 adult-use retailers and six social equity retailers. Buffer distances under §§ 3.1110 and 3.1208 keep facilities at least 1,000 feet from an operating school, 500 feet from a licensed daycare, public park playground or tax-exempt religious institution, and, outside the overlays, 250 feet from residentially zoned property. Every operator needs both a State of Michigan license and a City of Pontiac permit (§§ 3.1105, 3.1205), and the Planning Commission conducts site plan review and, outside the overlays, special exception review against traffic, utility capacity and neighborhood-impact standards (§§ 3.1107, 3.1206). Design rules bar marihuana-leaf or green-cross signage, neon outlining and blinking lights, and require activated-carbon odor filtration on exhaust systems (§ 3.1112).