Queen Anne's County, MD Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)

Section 18:1-57.1 of the Queen Anne's County Code, added June 10, 2025 by Ord. No. 25-01, sets the standards for a cannabis licensed dispensary in unincorporated Queen Anne's County. The standards apply whether the dispensary is allowed as a permitted or conditional use. Centreville, Queenstown and the other incorporated towns zone under their own codes.

The use tables of Chapter 18:1 decide where a dispensary can go. Cannabis licensed dispensary is a permitted use in the Suburban Commercial (SC), Kent Island Suburban Commercial (KISC), Urban Commercial (UC), Town Center (TC) and Grasonville Gateway and Medical Center (GGMC) districts. It is a conditional use in the Village Center (VC) district. The use rules in § 18:1-13 add that a use not listed is presumed prohibited in the district, and that no building permit issues for a use not listed or described by category. A conditional use also needs approval under Part 5 of the chapter.

The spacing rules in § 18:1-57.1 C(5) are numeric. A dispensary cannot sit within 100 feet of a property zoned for residential use, within 1/2 mile of a property containing another licensed cannabis dispensary, or within 500 feet of a property containing a pre-existing primary or secondary school, a licensed child care center, a registered family child care home, or a pre-existing playground, recreation center, library, public park or place of worship.

Application and operating conditions follow. A copy of the state issued cannabis license must accompany any application made to the County. The dispensary must comply with all regulations in COMAR 14.17.12, and signage must comply with § 36-903 of the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

Separately, § 18:1-13 cites § 36-407(b)(1) of that state Article to prohibit on-site cannabis consumption establishments in all zoning districts. That prohibition was added March 12, 2024 by Ord. No. 24-04.