Where Colorado Cities and Counties Allow Marijuana Businesses: Local Bans, Caps and Licensing Authorities
Where Colorado Cities and Counties Allow Marijuana Businesses: Local Bans, Caps and Licensing Authorities
In Colorado, the state issues the core paperwork, but cities and counties decide whether a marijuana business can actually operate where you want it. That is the practical meaning of colorado marijuana local control by city: the same state application can be welcomed in one town and blocked a few miles away. This guide explains how local control works, which places ban, cap or specifically regulate these businesses, and which office to call.
This is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Local marijuana rules change through votes, ordinances and code updates. Confirm the current rule with the named office before you sign a lease or spend money on a build-out, and talk to a qualified Colorado attorney or CPA about your specific situation.
How state law hands the decision to local governments
Three separate rules apply, and they are not interchangeable:
- Medical marijuana operates statewide under C.R.S. 44-10-104 unless a jurisdiction prohibits medical stores, cultivation and manufacturers by a majority vote of electors or of its governing board.
- Retail marijuana: under the same statute, any local jurisdiction may regulate the time, place, manner and number of retail businesses, require a local license, or prohibit retail businesses by ordinance or through a referred or initiated measure.
- Natural medicine is different. A local jurisdiction may regulate the time, place and manner of licensed natural medicine businesses under C.R.S. 44-50-104(5), but it may not prohibit them. A local ban on marijuana stores does not carry over to natural medicine.
The state handles the first layer of the process. Under C.R.S. 44-10-301, the state forwards retail applications to the local jurisdiction, and the local jurisdiction approves or denies them. You file through the state, but the city or county makes the final call on whether your store can open.
Quick reference: local status as of 2026
The table below summarizes the jurisdictions with reported local rules. Treat it as a starting point and verify each entry with the named office.
| Jurisdiction | Status as of 2026 | Who to confirm with |
|---|---|---|
| Denver | Licensed locally | Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection |
| Boulder | $2,500 local application fee; one person may hold an interest in up to 3 stores | City licensing office |
| Fort Collins | City pages list 11 retail and 11 medical stores; new retail licenses come only by transfer from a medical store | City licensing office |
| Colorado Springs | Retail licenses capped at the number of medical licenses held on November 5, 2024 (Question 300) | City licensing office |
| Broomfield | Cultivation and manufacturing banned; retail stores allowed under Ordinance 2266 (April 8, 2025) | City licensing office |
| Thornton | One store per quadrant, four in all | City licensing office |
| Windsor | Voters rejected an initiative 71% to 29% on February 18, 2025 | Windsor licensing office |
| Arvada | Council banned retail in 2014 | City clerk or licensing office |
| Arapahoe, Douglas, Jefferson, Weld (unincorporated areas) | Prohibitions reported from 2012 to 2016; Jefferson allows testing in industrial zones | County code and county offices |
| El Paso County (unincorporated) | Medical only | Board of County Commissioners, through the Clerk and Recorder |
| Pueblo County (unincorporated) | Licensed, but capped | County offices |
| Garfield County (unincorporated) | Commercial recreational cultivation illegal; medical cultivation requires a Land Use Change Permit (2016 release) | County offices |
Cities with specific rules
Denver
The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection is the local authority for marijuana businesses in Denver. Start there for current application requirements.
Boulder
Boulder charges a $2,500 local application fee, and one person may hold an interest in up to three stores. Both figures are reported as of 2026, so confirm them with the city's licensing office before you budget for an application.
Fort Collins
City pages list 11 retail and 11 medical stores. New retail licenses come only by transfer from an existing medical store. That means a brand-new retail store is not available as a fresh license, and the only route is acquiring a medical store and transferring it. Plan for that before you assume a retail location is possible.
Colorado Springs
Voters passed Question 300 on November 5, 2024, with about 54.7% approval. Retail licenses are capped at the number of medical licenses held on that date. In January 2025, council set a 1,000 foot buffer. Ask the city which uses and locations the buffer covers, because the answer determines which sites are actually available.
Broomfield
Ordinance 2266, adopted April 8, 2025, keeps cultivation and manufacturing banned and adds retail stores. In Broomfield, a retail storefront may be possible, but a grow or production facility is not.
Thornton
City code allows one store per quadrant of the city, four in all. If the quadrant you want is already taken, you will need a different site or a different strategy.
Windsor
Windsor voters rejected an initiative 71% to 29% on February 18, 2025. Check with Windsor's licensing office for how that result affects the current rules.
Arvada
Arvada's council banned retail marijuana in 2014. A retail store in Arvada is not an available option under the rule as reported.
Counties and unincorporated areas
County rules apply only in unincorporated areas, meaning land outside city limits. A city may allow a business while the surrounding unincorporated county does not, so confirm whether your address is inside city limits before you assume either rule applies. Two addresses on the same road can fall under different authorities.
Counties with reported prohibitions in unincorporated areas from 2012 to 2016 include Arapahoe, Douglas, Jefferson and Weld. Jefferson allows testing facilities in industrial zones. These prohibitions were reported in past years, so check each county code for the current text.
El Paso County licenses medical marijuana only, through the Board of County Commissioners, with applications handled by the Clerk and Recorder. Pueblo County licenses its unincorporated area but caps the number of licenses. Garfield County prohibits commercial recreational cultivation, and under a 2016 release, medical cultivation requires a Land Use Change Permit. Confirm the current requirement with the county.
Every other city
For Aurora, Brighton, Longmont, Lakewood, Pueblo, Grand Junction, Commerce City, Englewood, Greeley, Loveland, Parker, Castle Rock, Westminster and Centennial, the reliable source is the local government itself. Check with the city clerk or licensing office for the current rule on each type of marijuana business. If you plan to sign a lease based on the answer, ask for it in writing.
What a ban, a cap or a buffer means for you
A ban removes the business type entirely from that jurisdiction, so no application will be approved for it. A cap limits the total number of licenses, which means a site may be available only when an existing license is transferred or surrendered. A buffer keeps a business a set distance from specified locations, which can rule out sites that look acceptable on a map. Each one changes how you search for a location and how long the process takes.
Before you pick a location
- Confirm the jurisdiction. Check whether the address is inside city limits or in unincorporated county land.
- Get the local answer in writing. Use the city clerk or licensing office, or the county offices named above, and keep a copy of the response.
- Form the entity with the Secretary of State. An LLC files Articles of Organization with a $50 filing fee, and most filings go through the online filing system. A new LLC or corporation owes no periodic report in its first year, and the periodic report costs $25 each year after that. If you need time to settle on a name, a name reservation costs $25 and lasts 120 days.
- Name a registered agent. The agent must have a physical Colorado street address where documents can be received during business hours. A P.O. box does not qualify.
- Set up tax and state licensing. Most sellers of tangible goods need a Colorado sales tax license from the Department of Revenue. The state sales tax is 2.9% plus special district taxes. Home-rule cities, including Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs, Boulder and Fort Collins, collect and license their own city sales tax, so the state license does not cover them. Check with the state Marijuana Enforcement Division for current state license requirements.
Official resources
- Colorado Secretary of State, Business Organizations Division
- Colorado Secretary of State business entity search
- Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxation Division
- Colorado Small Business Development Center Network
Local rules decide whether your marijuana business can open, so the most valuable call you can make is to the city or county office that controls your address. This guide is informational only and is not legal or tax advice. For a complex situation, consult a qualified Colorado attorney and a CPA before you commit to a location.