Ramapo College of New Jersey Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning Rules (2026)

The NJ CREAMM Act (N.J.S.A. 24:6I-31 et seq.), effective 2021, legalized adult-use cannabis and gave municipalities until August 2021 to opt out of commercial cannabis businesses. Once opted out, municipalities can revisit every 5 years. In Bergen County, the majority of the 70 municipalities opted out including Paramus, Ridgewood, Franklin Lakes, Mahwah, Alpine, Tenafly, Cresskill, Ridgefield Park, and most of the Northern Valley towns. Municipalities permitting cannabis retail include Hackensack (Ordinance 46-2021 zones dispensaries in the B-3 Central Business District with 500-foot school buffer), Englewood (Ordinance 21-20 permits in C-2 Commercial with 1,000-foot buffer), Fort Lee (Ordinance 2021-20 permits in C-2 with conditional use permit), Garfield, Lodi, and Rutherford. The NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) issues state licenses for retail, cultivation, manufacturing, wholesale, distribution, and delivery per N.J.A.C. 17:30. Local approval is required in addition to state licensing. Class 5 Retailer licenses require municipal consent resolution before state license issuance. Bergen County itself does not impose additional zoning; each municipality sets setbacks, hours (typically 8 AM to 10 PM), security requirements, and operational standards. A 2% local cannabis transfer tax is permitted under N.J.S.A. 40:48I-1 and adopted by most hosting towns. Delivery to opted-out municipalities is still permitted under state law.