Buying or selling a cannabis business in St. Louis, Missouri

Where the city’s cannabis rules live

The City of St. Louis regulates marijuana businesses through Chapter 26.70 of its Zoning Code, added by Ordinance 70982 in June 2019 for medical facilities, extended to adult use by Ordinance 71633 in February 2023, and amended on hours by Ordinance 71897 in October 2024. Section 26.70.030 is the use table; section 26.70.040 sets site and operating rules. Chapter 26.70 creates no separate city cannabis licence, and we found no city licence fee specific to marijuana; the local gates are zoning, occupancy and sign permits, plus the city’s tax. The state licence and ownership approvals are on the Missouri page.

The city is rewriting its zoning code for the first time since the mid-twentieth century. The Zoning Upgrade held draft workshops in 2026 with no adoption date published, so check whether a new district map has replaced the letters below before relying on them.

Which districts allow a dispensary?

Use	Permitted by right	Conditional use permit	Prohibited
Dispensary (comprehensive, medical, microbusiness)	G, H, I, J, K, L	F	A to E
Dispensary with curbside, service window or extended hours	none	F to L	A to E
Cultivation and infused-product manufacturing	I, J, K, L	H	A to G
Testing facility	I, J, K, L	none	A to H

A to E are the residential districts, F is neighbourhood commercial, G local commercial and office, H area commercial, I the central business district, J industrial, K unrestricted and L the Jefferson Memorial district.

Buffers, hours and site rules

The city chose not to buffer. Section 26.70.040.C says no marijuana facility must be a prescribed distance from an existing school, daycare or church, and the chapter sets no distance between dispensaries and no cap on their number. That is the opposite of Kansas City’s 2,000-foot rule. For valuation, it means a St. Louis store has no zoning-protected radius; its defence is location, product and price.

The operating rules in section 26.70.040 that a buyer inherits:

1. Hours. 8am to 10pm, Sunday through Saturday, since Ordinance 71897 took effect on 11 October 2024; the limit had been 8pm. The ordinance’s recitals said the earlier closing time was hindering business against later-opening competitors elsewhere.
2. Security. Internet-based CCTV with 90 days of retained footage, a fireproof vault or safe attached to the structure, and a centrally monitored fire and burglar alarm.
3. Signage. Wall signs only, nothing above the roof or more than 15 feet above grade, no freestanding or temporary signs, and no rope LED lighting around windows or doors.
4. Premises. A permanent fixed structure, no boarded or covered windows beyond blinds, no on-site consumption, and no consumption in cars on the lot.

A seller that has added a pickup window or curbside service should be able to show the conditional use permit for it.

The city’s 3% tax

Board Bill 139, enacted as Ordinance 71608 and signed on 23 January 2023, put a 3% tax on adult-use marijuana retail sales in the city to voters. They approved it on 4 April 2023, with collection starting that October. Revenue has lagged plans: the city budgeted about $2.4 million a year, and its budget director said in October 2024 that it would fall short of that figure.

St. Louis is an independent city in no county, so a store inside city limits never faced the county-plus-city stack. That stack was ended statewide by the Florissant-based Robust Missouri Dispensary’s case, which the Missouri Supreme Court decided 6-1 on 22 July 2025: only one local government may levy the 3%. Across the city line, a store in incorporated St. Louis County now collects only its municipality’s 3%, which changed competitors’ shelf prices across the city line. Compare county competitors’ pricing before and after July 2025 when you look at a city store’s trend.

The Illinois border

Illinois charges a purchaser excise of 10% at or below 35% THC, 25% above, and 20% on infused products, plus sales and local taxes. Missouri charges 6% plus one local 3%. The gap favours St. Louis stores, and some customers cross the river on price. Ask for customer geography; the Illinois rules are on the Illinois page.

Who approves a sale

DHSS, not the city, approves ownership changes through its business change applications; fees and timetables are on the state page. Build the wait into the agreement with regulatory-approval contingencies, and use local control and municipal approvals as the checklist for the city file.

Market conditions

Missouri recorded about $1.52 billion of cannabis sales in 2025, roughly 3% above 2024. With no local spacing rule, St. Louis retail is widely distributed and competes on price, product and convenience, so operating discipline, not licence or site scarcity, drives value.

Practical points for sellers and buyers

Sellers. Produce the zoning district and any conditional use permit, the occupancy and sign permits, the lease, and a tax history. See preparing a cannabis business for sale.

Buyers. Confirm the parcel is in the city rather than the county, check the district letter against any Zoning Upgrade map, verify sales against Metrc, and price with dispensary valuation multiples knowing no zoning rule protects the trade area.

This page is general education, not legal or tax advice.