North Carolina has no operational medical or recreational marijuana dispensary program, so Winston-Salem has no dispensary zoning. Only hemp and CBD retailers operate legally. The UDO treats CBD shops as standard retail commercial use.
Because North Carolina has not enacted a medical marijuana program and has not legalized recreational cannabis, no licensed marijuana dispensaries exist or can operate in Winston-Salem. Any retail sale of marijuana is illegal under NCGS 90-95. The only cannabis-adjacent retailers legally operating in the city are hemp and CBD shops selling products containing less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC under the 2018 Farm Bill and the NC Industrial Hemp Pilot Program. These retailers are treated as standard retail commercial use under the Winston-Salem Unified Development Ordinances and require no special cannabis-specific zoning designation. If North Carolina enacts medical marijuana legalization (the Compassionate Care Act or similar legislation), Winston-Salem would need to adopt zoning amendments defining dispensary districts and setback requirements from schools, parks, and churches. Other states medical cannabis frameworks typically require 500 to 1,000 foot setbacks from sensitive uses. Winston-Salem has not pre-adopted any such zoning. Smokable hemp was initially banned under NC SB 352 but remains in legal limbo after legislative changes.
Operating an illegal marijuana dispensary: NCGS 90-95 trafficking charges, felony Class H through C depending on weight, plus federal controlled substance violations. Zoning violations for retail operations: $500 civil penalty under UDO.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem driveways require permits for new curb cuts and must meet UDO standards for width and paving material. Residential driveways limited to 24 feet...
Winston-Salem, NC
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Winston-Salem, NC
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Winston-Salem, NC
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Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem is not in a designated high-severity wildfire zone, but wooded neighborhoods along Salem Creek, Muddy Creek, and the western edge near Pilot Mo...
Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem permits recreational fire pits under the NC Fire Code (Section 307) when fires are contained, attended, and set back at least 25 feet from stru...
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