Santa Maria, CA Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Dispensaries
- Prohibited citywide, §6-12.03
- Personal cultivation exception
- Up to 6 plants, enclosed structure only
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
- Adopted
- Ordinance 2018-01, eff. 4/5/2018
- Public nuisance
- Abatable, attorney's fees to prevailing party
Summary
Santa Maria prohibits marijuana dispensaries anywhere in the city. Section 6-12.03 bars any person from operating or allowing a dispensary on any premises, and Section 6-12.04 extends the ban to all other commercial marijuana activity, including cultivation, manufacturing, testing and distribution, leaving no zoning district where a cannabis business may locate.
Marijuana dispensaries are prohibited in the City. No person shall operate or allow to be operated a marijuana dispensary in or upon any premises in the City.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4818069; v9 updated 2026-04-07).
Full Breakdown
03 states that marijuana dispensaries are prohibited in the City and that no person shall operate or allow to be operated a marijuana dispensary in or upon any premises in the City. 09 bans cannabis testing services. Because every commercial cannabis activity is prohibited citywide rather than zoned into a district, there is no dispensary-eligible zone in Santa Maria. 11 declares operation of a dispensary or any other prohibited cannabis activity a public nuisance, abatable by administrative process, civil injunction, or any other lawful nuisance remedy, with the prevailing party entitled to attorney's fees.
13 makes operating a dispensary through a City-licensed business grounds for suspension or revocation of that business license under Chapter 4-1. The chapter, adopted by Ordinance 2018-01, effective April 5, 2018, implements the citywide ban authorized after California legalized adult-use cannabis under Proposition 64.
Violations & Fines
Section 6-12.14 makes failure to comply with Chapter 6-12 a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in County Jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both, though the City Attorney may charge it as an infraction instead. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense. Section 6-12.12 requires any peace officer issuing a citation to confiscate the marijuana or marijuana products involved pending the case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there any zone in Santa Maria where a cannabis dispensary can open?
Can I grow marijuana at home in Santa Maria?
What happens if a dispensary opens anyway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Maria
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Maria to another location·View the California cannabis regulations overview
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