Cannabis Regulations in Contra Costa County, CA (2026)
2 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 3 cities in Contra Costa County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Dispensary Zoning
Contra Costa County does not ban cannabis businesses outright, but it confines them tightly: every commercial cannabis activity needs a discretionary land use permit, none may sit inside a cannabis exclusion (-CE) combining district, and a storefront retailer can operate only in six specific zoning districts, all inside the county's urban limit line.
Contra Costa County Cannabis Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsContra Costa County Ordinance Code §§ 88-28.410(b)(1)-(2), 88-28.412(a)
(b)Location Requirements.(1)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this chapter or elsewhere in this code, no commercial cannabis activities may be located within a cannabis exclusion (-CE) combining district.(2)All commercial cannabis activities shall be located within the urban limit line established pursuant to Chapter 82-1, except as follows... 88-28.412(a) - Standards applicable to re...
Buffer Zones
Every commercial cannabis business in unincorporated Contra Costa County must stay at least one thousand feet from any K-12 school, day care center, youth center, or drug treatment center, and a storefront cannabis retailer must stay at least five hundred feet from every other storefront retailer, measured property line to property line.
Contra Costa County Cannabis Buffer Distances
Significant RestrictionsContra Costa County Ordinance Code § 88-28.410(b)(3)
(3)A business shall meet the following buffer requirements:(A)A business may not be located within one thousand feet of any of the following located in the unincorporated County or in a city: a school providing instruction in kindergarten or any grades one through twelve; a day care center; or a youth center; or a drug treatment center.(B)A storefront retailer may not be located within five hun...
Cannabis Regulations by City in Contra Costa County
3 cities in Contra Costa County have their own cannabis regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Contra Costa County ordinances
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