Springfield, OH Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Dispensary use category
- None exists in Use Table
- Retail Store exclusion
- § 1105.02(r)(3) excludes dispensaries
- Cannabis Growing/Processing
- Permitted by-right, one district
- Growing/Processing parking ratio
- 4 spaces per 1,000 sq ft
- Enforcing agency
- Community Development Department
Summary
Springfield's Zoning Code has no use category for cannabis dispensaries: § 1105.02(r)(3) defines Retail Store to expressly exclude cannabis dispensaries, and the only cannabis use listed in Table 1104.03.1, Cannabis Growing/Processing, is permitted by-right in just one nonresidential district, with no equivalent category for retail sales.
Cannabis Growing/ P 4:1,000 Processing sf ... A building(s) or facility(ies) in which the sale of goods, products, or merchandise is sold directly to the consumer. Typical uses include but are not limited to clothing stores, department stores, electronic and appliance stores, bike shops, bookstores, hobby shops, jewelry stores, furniture stores, pet supply stores, shoe stores, antique shops, secondhand stores, record shops, CBD/smoke shops, sporting goods stores, variety stores, musical instrument stores, medical supply sales, office supplies, convenience stores, and beauty supply shops. Cannabis dispensaries are excluded from this definition.
Full Breakdown
The Springfield Zoning Code defines "Retail Store" at § 1105.02(r)(3) as a building or facility in which the sale of goods, products, or merchandise is sold directly to the consumer, listing examples from clothing stores to CBD/smoke shops, and then states flatly that cannabis dispensaries are excluded from this definition. Because Retail Store is the only broad walk-in retail use category in Table 1104.03.1: Use Table, and it is the category permitted across the city's commercial districts, excluding dispensaries from it leaves no zoning category under which a licensed adult-use or medical dispensary can locate anywhere in the city.
The Use Table's only cannabis-specific entry is Cannabis Growing/Processing, which carries a "P" (permitted by-right) mark in a single nonresidential district column and a maximum parking ratio of 4 spaces per 1,000 square feet, but that use covers cultivation and processing operations, not retail sales to the public. No other line in Table 1104.03.1 or in the Chapter 1105 use definitions creates a Cannabis Dispensary or similar retail-sales use. Springfield's General Offenses Code separately regulates individual conduct around adult-use cannabis in § 513.09, including possession limits and a per-day dispensary purchase cap, but that chapter addresses personal conduct and does not create or authorize a business location.
Without a defined use, a prospective dispensary operator has no path to a zoning permit, building permit, or certificate of occupancy for retail cannabis sales in Springfield, and any attempt to operate under the Retail Store category would be an unauthorized use subject to Community Development's zoning enforcement.
Violations & Fines
Operating a cannabis dispensary in Springfield without an authorized zoning use is an unauthorized use enforceable by the Community Development Department, which can order the use discontinued and pursue the Zoning Code's general enforcement remedies. Because no conditional use or variance path exists for dispensary retail under the current Use Table, a would-be operator cannot cure the violation through a Board of Zoning Appeals application; only a text amendment to the Use Table could create one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can a cannabis dispensary locate in Springfield, Ohio?
Can cannabis growing or processing operate in Springfield?
Has Springfield passed a formal opt-out banning dispensaries?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Springfield
Compare Springfield to another location·View the Ohio cannabis regulations overview
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