Cannabis Regulations in Adams County, CO (2026)

2 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Adams County, Colorado.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Adams County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.

Dispensary Zoning

Licensed marijuana hospitality and retail-and-sales businesses may operate only in unincorporated Adams County's industrial zone districts or its Commercial-3, Commercial-4 and Commercial-5 districts. The county has never opted out of retail marijuana, capping retail marijuana stores at six licenses, but a 2010 resolution still bans stand-alone medical marijuana centers countywide.

Where Cannabis Businesses May Locate in Adams County

Significant Restrictions

Adams County Ordinance No. 15 § 6(E) (Locations of Marijuana Hospitality Businesses)

Hospitality Businesses shall only be allowed in the following Zone Districts: all industrial zone districts, Commercial-3, Commercial-4, and Commercial-5.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Buffer Zones

Adams County's Marijuana Hospitality Business ordinance bars a licensed hospitality or retail-and-sales cannabis business from sitting within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare or playground, 100 feet of a church or youth center, 50 feet of residential property, or five miles of another such business anywhere in the unincorporated county.

Marijuana Business Buffer Zones in Adams County

Significant Restrictions

Adams County Ordinance No. 15 § 6 (Locations of Marijuana Hospitality Businesses, subsections A-D)

A. No Hospitality Business shall be located within 1,000 feet of any existing public or private elementary, middle junior high or high school, state licensed daycare homes and daycare centers in existence as of the date of application (based on information provided to the County by the State of Colorado), playground, or public housing facility. B. No Hospitality Business shall be located within...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Cannabis Regulations by City in Adams County

2 cities in Adams County have their own cannabis regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.

ThorntonPop. 141,867

3 verified rules • Buffer Zones, Dispensary Zoning

WestminsterPop. 116,317

2 verified rules • Dispensary Zoning, Home Cultivation

All Adams County ordinances

See every category we cover for Adams County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.

Adams County Ordinance Hub →