St. Paul Approves Zoning Amendments for Cannabis-Related Businesses

The City Council unanimously approved zoning amendments that outline where different types of legal cannabis operations can locate in St. Paul. These regulations will help support the local economy, promote public safety and mitigate potential negative impacts to neighborhoods.

The newly approved zoning changes create a framework for the establishment and operation of cannabis retail locations, cultivation facilities, and processing centers within Saint Paul.

City planning staff examined existing land uses in the zoning code to accommodate and regulate the 16 cannabis business license types from the Minnesota State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). The adopted amendments focus on permitted locations, operational impacts, and separation requirements for different types of businesses:

• Cannabis retail sales are allowed in areas zoned for commercial and mixed-use. Cannabis retail can locate anywhere in downtown and must be 300 feet from schools in all other parts of the city. Retail locations of over 15,000 square feet will require a conditional use permit (CUP), except in districts zoned as industrial. These retailers must have cameras and cannot share a common entrance with tobacco product shops.
• The majority of businesses already carrying hemp-derived edible products can continue to operate as usual in Saint Paul’s mixed-use and commercial zoned areas. These businesses can only sell lower potency hemp-derived products and cannot also carry cannabis.
• Limited cannabis production and cultivation (under 15,000 square feet) can happen in mixed-use, commercial, and industrial districts. Commercial outdoor cultivation, such as rooftop growing operations, will require a CUP.
• Industrial zoned districts are the only areas of Saint Paul where industrial scale and cultivation (over 15,000 square feet) business can locate.

View the licensing and zoning table for more detailed descriptions of what each state license type allows the license holder to do, and which zoning districts cannabis businesses can operate in across St. Paul. To check zoning for a specific property, please refer to the online zoning map.

The amendments will go into effect later this fall, so local businesses can identify potential locations before the OCM begins the licensing process in 2025.