MN Canna Q/A: I have a farm/cultivator setup. Can I also live there?

For a Minnesota cannabis cultivation, microbusiness, or mezzobusiness license, you cannot conduct regulated cannabis cultivation or processing activities inside a dwelling or living quarters, and on‑site living space on the licensed premises is tightly restricted by state rules and local zoning.

What the state rules say

• Minnesota’s cultivation rules (Minn. R. 9810.2000) explicitly prohibit growing, drying, processing, or storing cannabis plants or flower in dwellings unless the activity is specifically authorized under the home‑cultivation statute (up to 8 plants in a residence).

• Cannabis cultivators must ensure that all licensed activities occur in an area of the premises that can be accessed without passing through a dwelling, and the footprint of cultivation must be clearly defined in the cultivation plan and not exceed the approved canopy area.

Microbusiness and mezzobusiness implications

• Microbusinesses and mezzobusinesses can include cultivation, processing, and retail on the same licensed site, but the same “no cannabis activities in dwellings” rule applies; the cultivation and production areas must be in a separate, non‑residential space.

• If you want staff or owners to live on the premises (e.g., small farm‑style set‑up), the living quarters must be physically separate from the licensed cultivation/processing areas, and the business must still comply with fire, building, and local zoning rules that often prohibit cannabis operations in residential‑zoned buildings or mixed residential‑industrial uses.

Local zoning and residential‑use restrictions

• Many cities and counties explicitly prohibit cannabis cultivation or manufacturing within any building that contains a residential unit, or require it to be in industrial or agricultural zoning away from residential properties.

• Local cannabis ordinances frequently treat cannabis cultivation as a conditional‑use industrial or agricultural activity, and living quarters on the same site may be allowed only if the entire lot is zoned appropriately and the dwelling is clearly accessory, not used for the licensed cannabis operations.

Practical takeaway

• You can’t grow or process cannabis in a house or apartment unit under a commercial license; the state requires that licensed activities be in a non‑residential space with clear separation from living quarters.

• On‑site living quarters are not outright banned, but they must not be used for cultivation/processing, and the project must align with local zoning (often industrial or agricultural) and state security, safety, and environmental rules.

If you share your specific scenario (e.g., barn with loft, attached apartment, or standalone farmhouse), a more tailored “is this workable” analysis can be mapped against typical OCM‑compliant facility‑design patterns.