Mission Viejo, CA Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

23B, Recreational Marijuana Regulations, adopted by Ordinance No. 16-315 in 2016, regulates marijuana use citywide rather than carving out public spaces separately. 003(a) ties personal recreational use, possession, purchase, transport, and dissemination directly to state law: those activities are unlawful in all areas of the city to the extent they are unlawful under California law, which includes Proposition 64's ban on smoking or consuming cannabis or cannabis products in any public place. The same section then goes further than most cities by banning outdoor cultivation outright in every zoning district, with no use permit, building permit, variance, or other entitlement available for that use, and by heavily restricting indoor cultivation: growers may keep at most six plants in a fully enclosed, secure area no larger than 50 square feet and no taller than ten feet, using no more than 1,200 watts of lighting, with zero visible or detectable evidence from the public right-of-way.

004 separately bans the establishment or operation of any marijuana business anywhere in the city and bars any commercial marijuana activity, including delivery into the city from an outside retailer. 005 declares any violation of the chapter a public nuisance subject to abatement through all available remedies, giving code enforcement a civil path alongside criminal enforcement. 006 confirms violations may be enforced under any applicable law while preserving the Compassionate Use Act and Medical Marijuana Program Act defenses for qualifying patients, and states that the chapter is intended to bar all activity requiring a state AUMA license, so the city will not issue any local permit, license, or entitlement for it.