Cannabis and Community Districts

This webpage is organized into three sections: 1) Background on County Cannabis Regulations, 2) Community District Overlays, and 3) Cannabis Regulations Survey Process.

Background on County Cannabis Regulations

As a result of the legalization of recreational cannabis in the State of New Mexico, in 2021 the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) of Santa Fe County passed Ordinance 2021-03 (Cannabis Ordinance), which established County-wide regulations for cultivation, retail sales, and production of commercial cannabis and cannabis products. Personal cannabis use/growing is not regulated by the County.

The Cannabis Ordinance included a provision to allow Community Districts within the County to consider different commercial cannabis regulations to reflect their community’s individual needs, goals, and character. Section 10.22.10 of the cannabis ordinance states, “Nothing in this Section shall preclude different cannabis regulations from being adopted for Community District Overlays.” Residents of the Community Districts have the opportunity to consider addressing commercial cannabis regulations through a process with Santa Fe County.

The Cannabis Ordinance identifies where cannabis uses are permitted for each zoning district in accordance with the County Use Matrix in the Sustainable Land Development Code (SLDC). Below is a table that identifies key cannabis uses with its corresponding SLDC zoning district as identified in the Cannabis Ordinance.

Community District Overlays

There are 13 Community District Overlays (CDO) in Santa Fe County. A CDO is established via the BCC that is consistent with the Sustainable Growth Management Plan, an adopted Community Plan, and any applicable County Land Use Plans. The regulations, standards, and provisions of a CDO are specific to each overlay.

Below are communities actively or previously in the Cannabis Regulations Survey Process. Click on a community to see its boundaries current cannabis-specific use table:

·         Chimayo

·         San Marcos

Cannabis Regulations Survey Process

For each Community District Overlay, the County will conduct the following Cannabis Regulations Survey Process:

1. Stakeholder Meeting: If necessary, Staff will meet with key community stakeholders to introduce the Survey.

2. Survey: Mailers will be sent to every property owner in the Community District that includes a link to complete the survey online. To accommodate as many community members as possible, Staff will have at least one in-person pop-up for community members to fill out the survey.

3. Focus Group: We will be conducting an online focus group with Community District residents and business/property owners to gather more insight about the potential to consider changes to commercial cannabis regulations in a CDO.

4. Public Meeting: Staff and Survey contractors will have an in-person public meeting to present the findings from the Survey and Focus Group and ask for any final input from the community.  

5. Amending the Overlay: If the Survey and Focus Group results indicate the community wants to amend their Overlay, Staff will initiate the Community District Overlay Adoption Process. This process involves establishing a Community District Planning Committee via Resolution by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC), neighborhood meeting, and public hearings.

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If you have any questions or comments about the County’s Cannabis Regulations or the Cannabis Regulations Survey Process, please contact Nate Crail, Community Planner at: [bot protected email address] or 505-986-2452.