Michigan licensing & zoning
How far does a dispensary have to be from a school in Michigan?
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The answer
Adult-use dispensaries must sit at least 1,000 feet from a pre-existing public or private school, unless the municipality adopts an ordinance reducing that distance — many do, down to as little as 500 feet. Medical facilities carry no state-level distance mandate; any separation requirement there comes entirely from local zoning.
The buffer is a floor, not a fixed rule
MRTMA sets 1,000 feet as the default, but the statute gives municipalities the authority to shrink it by ordinance. Because that authority runs only one direction — municipalities can reduce the buffer but cannot enlarge the establishment's obligation beyond what MRTMA itself allows through other means such as district restrictions — the effective distance in any given city has to be read off that city's own ordinance, not assumed from the state default.
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