Tempe restricts cannabis dispensaries to specific commercial zoning districts: General Office (G-O), General Commercial (C-2), and Heavy Commercial (C-3). Dispensaries must maintain 1,320 feet of separation from schools, childcare facilities, churches, parks, libraries, community buildings, and other dispensaries. Hours are limited to 8 AM - 6 PM. Drive-through windows are prohibited.
Tempe's cannabis dispensary regulations are among the more restrictive in the Phoenix metro area. Under the city's zoning provisions for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, dispensaries are permitted only in General Office (G-O), General Commercial (C-2), and Heavy Commercial (C-3) zoning districts. A dispensary may not operate within 500 feet of a residential zoning district. The 1,320-foot separation requirement (quarter mile) applies to other dispensaries, cultivation facilities, schools (public, private, charter), childcare facilities, religious worship buildings, public parks, libraries, and public community buildings. Dispensaries must be in permanent buildings (not trailers, cargo containers, or mobile units) with only one secured exterior doorway. Operating hours are 8 AM to 6 PM. Drive-through windows are prohibited. Since Arizona legalized recreational cannabis (Proposition 207, 2020), dual-use dispensaries serve both medical and recreational customers under AZDHS licensing. Tempe's ASU-adjacent location creates additional sensitivity around dispensary siting near the university campus.
Operating outside permitted zones or hours, or within buffer distances, may result in zoning enforcement action, conditional use permit revocation, and state licensing consequences.
Tempe, AZ
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Maricopa County.
See how other cities in Maricopa County handle dispensary zoning.
See how Tempe's dispensary zoning rules stack up against other locations.
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