As of October 30, 2026.
Opening a dispensary is one of the most regulated small business launches in the country. Every state runs its own program, every city writes its own zoning, and every step has to line up with the next. Most people start with the license. The ones who open start with the site.
I'm Kyle Gere, Realtor®, and I'm a dispensary site hunter. I find the buildings that can actually hold a cannabis license, and I help operators lock them up before the competition does. If you are thinking about opening a dispensary in any state, call or text me at (602) 695-5260 or send me a note before you spend a dollar on an application.
Step 1: Find out if your state is open for business
Start with the program itself. States fall into a few groups:
Adult-use and medical. Anyone of legal age can buy, and the state licenses retail dispensaries for both markets.
Medical only. Sales are limited to registered patients, and license counts are often tightly capped.
No program, or a limited one. No path to a retail license right now.
Being a legal state is not the same as being open. Many states cap the number of licenses and only accept applications during set windows, sometimes with social equity or regional rules. Some windows are short, and others have not opened in years. In some states the fastest path is buying an existing license or partnering with a current holder, not waiting for a new round.
Check your state regulator's site for the current rules, and sign up for Cannabis License Round Alerts so you hear about new application windows when I do.
Step 2: Plan the license, the entity, the capital, and the team
Once you know the program, decide what you are applying for and who is applying.
The license type. Retail only, or retail plus cultivation or manufacturing? Each one has different property needs.
The entity and ownership. Regulators look closely at owners, and many require background checks and disclosure of everyone with a stake.
The capital. Plan for application fees, rent or a purchase, buildout, security, inventory, and months of carrying costs before you open. Many banks and lenders still limit cannabis lending, so line up your money early.
The team. You will want a cannabis attorney, an accountant who knows the industry, a compliance consultant, and a real estate advisor who has done cannabis deals.
Your real estate plan belongs in this step, not after it. Many license rounds ask for proof of site control when you apply. That can mean a signed lease, a purchase contract, or ownership, and in some states a letter of intent is not enough. If you wait until you are approved to look for a building, you may already be too late.
Want to know what a license is worth once you have it? Read what an Arizona dispensary license is really worth in 2026.
Step 3: Hunt down a site that can actually hold the license
This is the make or break step. A license with no compliant building is just paper.
A dispensary site has to pass several tests at once:
Zoning. The city or county has to allow a dispensary in that zone. Many cities limit cannabis to a few districts, cap the number of stores, or ban them outright.
Buffers and setbacks. Most states and cities require distance from schools, and many add child care centers, parks, churches, treatment centers, residential zones, or other dispensaries. How the distance is measured matters, and two buildings on the same block can land on opposite sides of the line.
Local approval. Some towns require a conditional use permit or special use permit, a public hearing, or a local license on top of the state license. Some must opt in before any store can open.
A willing landlord. The owner has to agree to a cannabis use in writing, and the owner's lender and insurer have to allow it too.
The building itself. Parking, access, power, security, and code all have to work for a retail dispensary.
Good sites are rare, and the good ones go fast when a license round opens. That is why I hunt for them before the window posts. I check zoning at the parcel level, measure buffers, review local approvals, and find owners who will say yes.
This is the work behind my portfolio, which includes deals in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Illinois:
Kushmart, Lackawanna, NY (2025): a vacant commercial building converted to a dispensary.
Kushmart, Lancaster, NY (2025): a former Family Video converted to a dispensary.
The THC Shop, Atlantic City, NJ (2022): a former Popeyes converted to a dispensary.
FRX Dispensary, Dayton, OH (2025): a former Burger King converted to a dispensary.
Middletown, OH: a former Naing's Garden restaurant on N Verity Parkway, where I worked with dispensary operators to secure the location.
The Bloc, Chicago, IL (2024): a long term lease for a cannabis retail dispensary.
Notice the pattern: old fast food buildings, a video store, a restaurant. The best dispensary sites are often hiding in plain sight. See the full portfolio.
Have a market in mind? Call or text me at (602) 695-5260 and tell me the state and city. I'll tell you what it takes to find a site there.
Step 4: LOI, lease or purchase, and due diligence
Once you find the right building, move quickly and carefully.
Letter of intent. Set the business terms: rent or price, term, renewals, who pays for buildout, and contingencies.
Lease or purchase agreement. Tie the deal to getting your license and local approvals, with a clear way out if you do not. Make sure the lease can transfer if the business is sold, and that the permitted use clause names a licensed cannabis dispensary.
Due diligence. Confirm title, zoning, use approvals, buffers, utilities, and anything in the property's history that could cause trouble.
Your attorney handles the legal documents. My job is the real estate side: the site, the business terms, and keeping every party on the same timeline. For the full list of what to check before you sign, read the dispensary real estate checklist.
Step 5: Buildout, inspections, and opening day
With the site secured and the license in hand, the building becomes a store.
Permits and buildout. Secure storage, cameras, alarms, access control, and a layout that meets state rules.
Inspections. Expect the building department, fire, and the state regulator to sign off before you sell anything.
Opening deadlines. Some states require a licensed store to open within a set time or risk losing the license. Know your deadline and plan the buildout around it.
A site chosen wrong shows its problems here, when they cost the most to fix.
Why work with the dispensary site hunter
I'm based in Arizona, where I'm a Realtor® with HomeSmart. In Arizona I represent clients in the purchase, lease, and sale of cannabis and commercial property. Outside Arizona, I work as a dispensary site selection advisor and consultant, partnering with locally licensed brokers and attorneys where the state requires it. Either way, you get someone who has done this before and knows what a compliant site looks like.
Ready to find your site?
Whether you are applying in the next round, buying an existing license, or opening a second location, the building decides whether you open. Let's find the right one.
Call or text Kyle at (602) 695-5260
Get Cannabis License Round Alerts so you hear when the next window opens
Cannabis remains subject to local, state, and federal law. Bronson Real Estate provides real estate advisory services and does not give legal advice.
Kyle Gere, Realtor® | Bronson Real Estate | Arizona brokerage services provided by HomeSmart LLC. Equal Housing Opportunity.
