How to Find a Compliant Property for Your Colorado Natural Medicine Business

By Colleen Mitchell

Jul 15, 2025

If you are interested in operating a licensed natural medicine healing center, cultivation facility, or manufacturing business in Colorado, your first step is finding a compliant property and obtaining local zoning approval. This can be a complex process with unique state and local requirements. Read on for some of the most important factors to consider when searching for a compliant property for your natural medicine business.

State Setback Requirements for Natural Medicine Businesses in Colorado

When applying for a Colorado natural medicine business license, Healing Center applicants must demonstrate compliance with the state-required 1000-foot setback from licensed childcare centers, preschools, elementary, middle, junior, or high schools, or residential childcare facilities.

Applicants can prove compliance by creating maps showing the distance from their proposed property to the nearest prohibited facilities. Distance must be measured from the nearest property line of the land used for a school or facility to the nearest portion of the building in which the Healing Center is located, using a route of direct pedestrian access. Localities are permitted to shorten the setback distance or eliminate certain types of schools from the setback restrictions through local ordinance. Some localities may apply this setback requirement to cultivation and manufacturing businesses. All types of business license applicants need to check the local setback requirements when searching for properties.

Local Zoning Requirements for Colorado Natural Medicine Businesses

Applicants are required to provide proof of local zoning compliance with all business license applications.

Local zoning compliance may be demonstrated in three ways:

A PDF copy of the jurisdiction’s zoning code.
A copy of email correspondence from the local jurisdiction confirming their zoning requirements for the applicable natural medicine business type.
A copy of email correspondence from the local jurisdiction confirming they have no requirements regarding a natural medicine business.

Each Colorado municipality will have its unique zoning policies for natural medicine businesses, which may vary by business type. Many areas are still formulating their zoning policies or have chosen to apply existing land use regulations to natural medicine businesses. Applicants should reach out to local governments for guidance on zoning requirements for natural medicine businesses and attempt to get a zoning compliance statement from the local government in writing for any potential properties prior to executing any site control documentation.

If a local jurisdiction confirms that it does not have any zoning policies for natural medicine businesses, then any property would be compliant as long as it meets the applicable setback requirements.

Site Control Documentation for Colorado Natural Medicine License Applicants

Applicants are required to provide proof of possession of the licensed property with their applications, which may be in the form of a deed, lease, sublease, rental agreement, or contract. Applicants should be transparent with property owners regarding their intent to operate a licensed natural medicine business at the location and ensure that the terms of their site control documentation comply with all relevant legal requirements under the Natural Medicine Health Act.

Questions? Contact us!

Finding a compliant property can be a challenge, but Vicente LLP is here to help prospective natural medicine businesses identify a compliant property, obtain local zoning approval, and draft compliant site control documentation.

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