Cannabis Regulatory Requirements

The County of San Diego’s (County) Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing as follows:

Project Name: Socially Equitable Cannabis Program

Date: April 10, 2026

Description: This is a request for the Planning Commission to provide a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors (Board) on the proposed Socially Equitable Cannabis Program (SECP) including draft Zoning Ordinance amendments and the Final Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR). The SECP also includes amendments to the Regulatory Code and the Social Equity Program, which fall outside of the scope of the Commission’s purview, however any input from the Commission will be shared with the Board.

The SECP would allow for new cannabis facilities in the unincorporated areas of the county, including cultivation, distribution, manufacturing, microbusiness, retail, onsite consumption lounges, temporary cannabis events, and testing laboratories. The SECP was prepared in response to the Board's January 27, 2021 (4) direction to develop amendments to the Zoning Ordinance and County Regulatory Code to allow for permitting and licensing of new commercial cannabis uses.

On January 14, 2026 (3), staff presented program options to the Board based on stakeholder feedback. These options included proceeding with a program aligned with State standards (Program Option A) in addition to other options that would expand regulations to incorporate local requirements for buffers, sensitive uses, allowed facility types, and separation requirements. At that hearing, the Board directed staff to pursue Program Option A, which aligns local standards with state standards for buffers from sensitive uses and is consistent with the Board’s original January 2021 direction. Under State standards, cannabis facilities would be required to be located at least 600-feet from schools, daycares, and youth centers.

The SECP includes four components:

1) Regulatory requirements, including amendments to the County Zoning Ordinance and the Regulatory Code,

2) a licensing and permitting structure and procedures,

3) a PEIR to analyze potential environmental impacts from the program, and

4) a Social Equity Program promoting fair access to the cannabis industry for those who have been impacted by cannabis-related criminalization and the War on Drugs.

Hearing Information

• Date: April 10, 2026
• Time: 9:00 a.m.
• Location: County Operations Center (COC) Hearing Room, 5520 Overland Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123

Public Participation

Those wishing to participate in the meeting and/or comment should visit the Planning Commission website.

If you have any questions, please contact the Planning Commission Secretary at PDS.PlanningCommission@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Assistance for Persons with Disabilities or Requesting Interpretation

Agendas and records are available in alternative formats upon request. Contact the Planning and Development Services office at (858) 694-3003 with questions or to request a disability-related accommodation. Individuals requiring sign language interpreters should contact the Countywide ADA Title II Coordinator at (619) 531-4908. To the extent reasonably possible, requests for accommodation or assistance should be submitted at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting so that arrangements may be made. An area in the front of the room can be designated for individuals requiring the use of wheelchair or other accessible devices. Please visit the Planning Commission website for more details.

The County of San Diego Planning & Development Services (PDS) is pleased to announce that the Final Program Environmental Impact Report (Final PEIR) including responses to public comments for the draft Socially Equitable Cannabis Program (Cannabis Program) is available.

The Final PEIR, prepared in accordance with State of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, can be viewed on the County’s CEQA website.

The Final PEIR identifies and studies potential impacts to the environment from the proposed Cannabis Program, while evaluating ways to avoid or reduce impacts.

The Draft PEIR and draft ordinances for the Cannabis Program were released for a 60-day public review period on January 30, 2025. The County accepted public comments through March 31, 2025. As required by CEQA Section 15132, the Final PEIR consists of the Draft EIR including minor revisions in response to public comments, comments received on the Draft EIR, a list of persons, organizations, and public agencies commenting on the Draft EIR, and responses to comments received on the significant environmental points raised during the review process.

Consistent with CEQA guidelines, there is no additional public review period for the Final PEIR. The Cannabis Program is not yet adopted and must first receive a recommendation during a noticed public hearing from the Planning Commission (spring 2026) and consideration of the ordinances and certification of the Final PEIR from the Board of Supervisors (summer 2026).

If you have any questions, please contact the Cannabis Program Team at PDS.LongRangePlanning@sdcounty.ca.gov or at (858) 505-6677.

On January 14, 2026, the Board of Supervisors provided direction on decision points for the draft Socially Equitable Cannabis Program (SECP). Details of each decision point are available in the minute order and the meeting recording is available online.

Recap of Board Direction

Decision Point #1: Land Use (Program Options)

The Board provided direction to continue to develop the draft SECP in alignment with State standards (Program Option A). This option would allow all cannabis facility types and would require a 600-foot buffer from schools, day cares, and youth centers to cannabis facilities, consistent with the January 27, 2021 Board direction and State regulations.

Decision Point #2: Regulations on Temporary Events & Consumption Lounges

The Board provided direction to retain temporary cannabis events and onsite consumption lounges in the SECP for further consideration.

Decision Point #3: Community Equity Contribution Program (CECP)

The Board provided direction to continue to develop the CECP.

Additional Direction on Background Checks

The Board provided additional direction and directed the Chief Administrative Officer to return to the Board with amendments to the Regulatory Code that rely on the State Background Check for receiving a cannabis operating certificate.

Next Steps

Staff will finalize the draft Zoning Ordinance, draft Regulatory Code, and the Final Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR). Staff will return to the Planning Commission in spring 2026 for a formal recommendation on the Zoning Ordinance amendments and the Final PEIR. Following the Commission’s recommendation, staff will return to the Board for consideration of the entire SECP including the Zoning Ordinance and Regulatory Code amendments, the Final PEIR, any associated permitting and licensing fees, and the codification of the Social Equity Program.

On October 17, 2025, the County of San Diego’s Planning Commission received an informational update on the draft Socially Equitable Cannabis Program. The Planning Commission received an overview of the draft Zoning Ordinance amendments and the Draft PEIR, a summary of public outreach and feedback, and potential zoning ordinance changes that reflected stakeholder comments. No formal recommendations were made on the Cannabis Program.

Click here to view a recording of the Planning Commission Hearing.

The Cannabis Program Draft EIR and draft ordinances are available for public review and comment through March 31, 2025.

To review and submit comments on the Draft EIR and draft ordinances, please visit the Cannabis Program Engagement Portal and follow the instructions under “Review the Draft EIR”. The draft ordinance amendments can be found in Appendix B.

In addition, staff has also developed fact sheets for the Draft Zoning Ordinance and the Draft Regulatory Code, which you can find under “Documents” on the right-hand side of this page (or scroll down if you are using a mobile device).

For more information on what is included in the Draft EIR and draft ordinances and how to submit comments, you are invited to attend one of our upcoming public meetings. At these meetings we will discuss the public review process and how to navigate the Cannabis Program Engagement Portal where you can review and provide comments directly on the draft documents. You may also provide your comments to staff at these meetings.

Please register for the following meetings! (Registration is free, does not require you to create an account, and helps us anticipate the number of attendees.)

Virtual Meetings

• When:
  • February 5, 2025, 6:00 p.m.
  • February 6, 2025, 6:00 p.m.
  • February 12, 2025, 6:00 p.m.
• Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84368497586?pwd=RVAZurGJyguieIv4Mo2IkuqgRq1zob.1

In-Person Open Houses

• When & Where:
  • February 25, 2025, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Lakeside County Library, 12428 Woodside Avenue, Lakeside, CA 92040
  • February 26, 2025, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Valley Center County Library, 29200 Cole Grade Road, Valley Center, CA 92082

The County hosted three phases of virtual public outreach meetings from March to July 2023 to gather public feedback on regulatory program considerations as directed by the Board:

• Cannabis facility design guidelines
• Options to limit the number of cannabis facilities and consumption lounges
• Definition and guidelines for cannabis events
• Community Equity Contribution Program

See Key Dates for more information.