Increases the distance allowed between cannabis storefronts and premises for adult-use on-site consumption and school grounds and houses of worship; restricts their distance with a child day care

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Tannousis

The bill tightens cannabis siting by boosting minimum buffers to 1,000 feet from schools and child care, and 400 feet from houses of worship, for retail and on-site consumption.

REFERRED TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Purpose and Intent

A 11107 proposes to increase the minimum distance requirements between cannabis storefronts (retail licenses) and sensitive locations, specifically for adult-use on-site consumption premises, school grounds, and houses of worship. It also adds a restriction related to child day care facilities. The overall intent is to strengthen safety and community impact considerations by limiting proximity of cannabis storefronts to locations involving children, education, worship, and child care.

Key Provisions

Distance from school grounds and child day care (retail storefronts):

Replaces the current 500-foot minimum with a 1,000-foot minimum distance from school grounds defined in the Education Law.
Replaces the current 500-foot minimum with a 1,000-foot minimum distance from child day care facilities defined in the Social Services Law.

Distance from houses of worship (retail storefronts):

Increases minimum distance from 200 feet to 400 feet from a house of worship.

Distance for adult-use on-site consumption licenses (premises):

Increases the minimum distance from school grounds to 1,000 feet.
Increases the minimum distance from child day care to 1,000 feet.
Increases the minimum distance from a house of worship from 200 feet to 400 feet.

Effective date:

The act takes effect 90 days after it becomes law.

Affected Parties and Scope

Cannabis retail licensees: Must locate storefronts at least 1,000 feet from school grounds and child day care facilities, and at least 400 feet from houses of worship (instead of the prior 500 feet to school/day care and 200 feet to houses of worship).

Premises seeking on-site consumption licenses: Must comply with the same 1,000-foot spacing from schools and day care facilities, and 400 feet from houses of worship.

Education, social services, and religious communities: Potentially see reduced proximity of cannabis storefronts to their facilities due to greater buffer zones.

Procedural and Timeline Details

Status: Referred to the Assembly Committee on Economic Development (April 24, 2026).

Enactment timeline: If enacted, the bill would become law 90 days after becoming law.

Amendments to law affected:

Subdivision 6 of section 72 (retail license location criteria)
Subdivision 4 of section 77 (on-site consumption license location criteria)

Notes

The bill maintains the overall framework of New York’s cannabis licensing statutes but doubles certain minimum buffers to align with public safety and youth protection concerns.

Specifics rely on existing definitions of “school grounds,” “child day care,” and “house of worship” as stated in the Education Law, Social Services Law, and related regulatory texts.

Bill