Thornton, CO Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)

The Thornton Marijuana Licensing Code, adopted under Section 16 of Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution and effective September 1, 2016 (§§ 42-701, 42-703), authorizes marijuana establishment licensing in the city. Section 42-718(a) caps the total number of marijuana store licenses the licensing authority may approve at four for the entire city, with no more than one marijuana store per geographical quadrant, and the quadrant boundaries are defined in § 18-204. Subsection (b) bars the same applicant from holding more than one marijuana store license anywhere in the city, while subsection (c) leaves retail and medical marijuana testing facility licenses uncapped.

New store licenses go through a lottery under § 42-716: the city clerk first screens applications for completeness and automatic denial grounds, then the Marijuana Licensing Authority draws a single winning applicant at random from the qualified pool in a public forum where applicant names are shielded until selection. Relocating an existing store requires the same zoning compliance verification process as a new application, and § 42-720(b) bars approval of any new location that fails to comply with the Development Code and zoning requirements in Chapter 18, or that would put a second store in the same quadrant.