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Cannabis Regulations in Los Angeles, CA (2026)

6 verified cannabis regulations for Los Angeles, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Home Cultivation

Outdoor marijuana cultivation is prohibited citywide in Los Angeles regardless of zone or personal-use status. Indoor personal cultivation may be allowed under California Health and Safety Code § 11362.1(a)(3), but any cultivation visible from outside the structure is separately unlawful.

Cannabis: Home Cultivation

Heavy Restrictions

LAMC §§ 105.06(c), (d), (f)

(c) It is unlawful to plant, cultivate, harvest, dry, process, manufacture or store any living marijuana plants allowed by State law, if such action or conduct occurs outdoors at any location in the City. This prohibition shall not apply to the limited conduct allowed under Health and Safety Code Section 11362.1(a)(3). (d) It is unlawful to possess, plant, cultivate, harvest, dry, process, ...

Dispensary Zoning

Los Angeles requires a separate city license from the Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) for each type of commercial cannabis activity. Storefront retail licenses (Type 10) are capped at three per person and may be denied if the proposed location's community plan area has reached Undue Concentration: defined as exceeding one storefront per 7,500 residents.

Cannabis: Dispensary Zoning

Significant Restrictions

Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) §§ 104.01(40), 104.02, 104.04(b)(2) (Amended by Ord. No. 188,451, Eff. 12/30/24) (source: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/losangeles/latest/losangeles_ca/0-0-0-1)

SEC. 104.02. LICENSE REQUIRED. (a) DCR shall issue Licenses authorizing adult-use and medical Commercial Cannabis Activity. A License is required for any of the following Commercial Cannabis Activities and shall be issued individually for each activity type: 1. RETAILER COMMERCIAL CANNABIS ACTIVITY - Type 10 - Storefront Retailer; Type 9 - Delivery, as currently defined or amended by the State ...

Social Equity Licensing

Los Angeles's cannabis Social Equity Program provides priority processing for retail cannabis licenses (Type 10) to Tier 1 and Tier 2 Social Equity Individual Applicants in Round 1, and in Round 2 uses a lottery open to applicants with a prior California cannabis arrest or conviction who are also low-income or have lived 10 or more cumulative years in a Disproportionately Impacted Area.

Cannabis: Social Equity Licensing

Some Restrictions

Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) § 104.06.1 (Amended by Ord. No. 186,703, Eff. 7/10/20) (source: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/losangeles/latest/losangeles_ca/0-0-0-1)

SEC. 104.06.1. SOCIAL EQUITY PROGRAM COMMERCIAL CANNABIS ACTIVITY APPLICATION PROCESSING. (b) Type 10 Application Processing – Round 1. 1. Social Equity Individual Applicant Verification. For a period of 60 calendar days...an individual may apply to be verified as a Tier 1 or Tier 2 Social Equity Individual Applicant as defined in Section 104.20(a). 3. To be eligible to apply in Round 1, an App...

Buffer Zones

Los Angeles enforces strict distance buffers between cannabis retailers and sensitive uses: 700 feet from schools, 600 feet from public parks and libraries, and 500 feet from another licensed cannabis retailer, measured from the retailer's property line.

Cannabis Retailer Buffer Zone Requirements

Some Restrictions

California Business & Professions Code Sec. 26054 (Cannabis Licensee — 600-ft School/Daycare/Youth Center Buffer)

26054. (a) A licensee shall not sell alcoholic beverages or tobacco products on or at any premises licensed under this division. (b) A premises licensed under this division shall not be located within a 600-foot radius of a school providing instruction in kindergarten or any grades 1 through 12, daycare center, or youth center that is in existence at the time the license is issued, unless the d...

Cannabis Delivery Rules

Transporting or delivering cannabis in a vehicle where the product is visible from the exterior is prohibited citywide. Delivery-only retailers (Type 9 non-storefront) face a reduced 600-foot school buffer and are exempt from the 700-foot park, library, and day-care buffers required of storefront retailers.

Cannabis: Delivery Rules

Some Restrictions

LAMC §§ 105.06(e), 105.02(a)(1) Exception

(e) It is unlawful to transport or deliver by vehicle any Cannabis or Cannabis derived product allowed by State law, where any Cannabis or Cannabis derived product is visible from the exterior of the vehicle. Exception. Type 9 - Non-Storefront Commercial Cannabis Activity shall not be required to locate outside of a 700-foot radius of a Public Park, Public Library, Alcoholism or Drug Abuse ...

Personal Cultivation Limits

Adults 21 and older in Los Angeles may cultivate up to six living cannabis plants per private residence under California Proposition 64, with plants kept indoors, in a locked area, and out of public view, mirroring statewide Health and Safety Code Section 11362.1.

Personal Cannabis Cultivation Limits at Home

Significant Restrictions

California Health and Safety Code § 11362.1

(a) Subject to Sections 11362.2, 11362.3, 11362.4, and 11362.45, but notwithstanding any other provision of law, it shall be lawful under state and local law, and shall not be a violation of state or local law, for persons 21 years of age or older to: (1) Possess, process, transport, purchase, obtain, or give away to persons 21 years of age or older without any compensation whatsoever, not more...

Looking for Los Angeles County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Los Angeles city rules.

Cannabis Regulations in Los Angeles County