Downey, CA Cannabis Regulations: Home Cultivation (2026)

12 for adults 21 and older. Cultivation must occur entirely within a fully enclosed and secure structure that complies with the City's Zoning, Building, and Fire Codes, including all required permits, inspections, and approvals. The plant count is capped at six living plants total. On single-family or duplex lots, the grow can be inside the residence or in a separate fully enclosed accessory structure, so long as that structure isn't in a front or street-side yard; on other residentially developed properties, cultivation must stay inside a dwelling unit; and cultivation inside an accessory dwelling unit is flatly prohibited.

The cultivator or their primary caregiver must grow strictly for personal use, never for sale, donation, or transport to anyone else, and that person must live full-time in the unit where the cultivation happens. Equipment limits are specific: grow lights cannot exceed an aggregate of 1,200 watts, and gas products such as CO2, butane, propane, or natural gas, along with generators, are banned from the grow area entirely. The cultivation footprint is capped at a cumulative 50 square feet, ventilation and filtration must be installed and City-approved before cultivation begins to stop odors escaping the structure, and a portable fire extinguisher meeting State Fire Marshal standards must be kept in the grow room.

Garages cannot be used for cultivation and must stay clear of cultivation equipment and plants, the residence must keep functioning kitchen, sleeping, and bathroom facilities usable for their normal purpose, cultivation areas need mechanical or electronic security locks, and no exterior sign of the grow may be visible from public view.