Stafford Township, NJ Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Status
- All six cannabis license classes prohibited (§ 211-4.1B)
- Retail stores
- Cannabis retailers cannot operate anywhere in Stafford
- Only exception
- Delivery from a licensed location outside the Township
- Adopted
- 5-11-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-10
- Zoning penalty
- $100 to $1,250 fine, up to 90 days jail or community service
- Companion chapter
- Chapter 214 bars consumption to the extent possible
Summary
Stafford Township prohibits cannabis cultivators, delivery services, distributors, manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers from operating anywhere in the Township, including Manahawkin. The only exception is delivery by a licensed delivery service based and initiated from a licensed location outside Stafford. Violations of the zoning chapter carry a fine of $100 to $1,250 plus up to 90 days of jail or community service.
CANNABIS RETAILER Any licensed person or entity that purchases or otherwise obtains usable cannabis from cannabis cultivators and cannabis items from cannabis manufacturers or cannabis wholesalers, and sells these to consumers from a retail store, and may use a cannabis delivery service or a certified cannabis handler for the off-premises delivery of cannabis items and related supplies to consumers. ... B. Prohibition of cannabis uses. All cannabis cultivators, cannabis delivery services, cannabis distributors, cannabis manufacturers, cannabis retailers, and cannabis wholesalers are hereby prohibited from operating anywhere in the Township of Stafford, except for the delivery of cannabis items and related supplies by a licensed cannabis delivery service based and initiated from a cannabis delivery service licensed location outside of the Township of Stafford.
Full Breakdown
Stafford Township bans every licensed class of cannabis business within its borders. Section 211-4.1, added 5-11-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-10 and titled Additional prohibited uses, sits in Chapter 211 (Zoning). Subsection A defines six license classes: cannabis cultivator, cannabis delivery service, cannabis distributor, cannabis manufacturer, cannabis retailer and cannabis wholesaler. The code has no separate word for a dispensary; the closest class is the cannabis retailer, defined as a licensed person or entity that sells cannabis items to consumers from a retail store. Subsection B then prohibits all six classes from operating anywhere in the Township of Stafford.
The single exception is the delivery of cannabis items and related supplies by a licensed cannabis delivery service based and initiated from a cannabis delivery service licensed location outside of the Township of Stafford. The definition of cannabis in Subsection A excludes medical cannabis dispensed to registered qualifying patients under the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act and hemp products under the New Jersey Hemp Farming Act, and the prohibition in Subsection B is stated for the six defined license classes. Section 211-4 backs this up with a general rule that all uses not expressly permitted in the chapter are prohibited.
A companion Chapter 214 (Cannabis Items), adopted the same day, 5-11-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-11, states in § 214-1 that its purpose is the prohibition of the consumption of cannabis items within the Township to the extent possible under P.L. 2021, c. 16. Section 214-3A bars a person under the legal age from knowingly possessing or consuming a cannabis item on private property without legal authority, other than by smoking, vaping or aerosolizing.
Violations & Fines
Under § 211-36A, anyone who violates Chapter 211 faces, on conviction, a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,250, imprisonment for a term not to exceed 90 days, community service of not more than 90 days, or any combination, as determined by the Municipal Court Judge. Each successive day is a separate offense, and the person allowing the violation to continue can be punished for each one. Section 211-36B adds that a violation is subject to summary abatement by a restraining order or injunction from a court of competent jurisdiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a cannabis dispensary open in Stafford Township?
Is cannabis delivery to Stafford addresses allowed?
Why does the zoning chapter ban uses that are not listed?
What penalty applies to a zoning violation in Stafford?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stafford Township
Compare Stafford Township to another location·View the New Jersey cannabis regulations overview
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