Last reviewed: October 19, 2026. Before starting a home cannabis grow, confirm three things: whether you qualify to cultivate, how your state counts plants, and which restrictions apply to the property. A state may permit retail cannabis sales while still prohibiting home cultivation. A plant allowance may apply to an entire residence rather than to each adult who lives there.
This guide summarizes personal adult-use cultivation rules for adults 21 and older. Every state entry links to an official government source. Medical cultivation programs can have different eligibility requirements and limits; those permissions should not be treated as a general right for all adults to grow.
Home cannabis plant limits by state
Read the entire row for your state. A six-plant allowance does not always mean six flowering plants, and additional adults do not automatically multiply a household limit. The table is a starting point for checking the linked law or agency guidance, not a substitute for its full requirements.
| State | Personal adult-use limit | Household limit or key condition | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 6 plants per adult, including no more than 3 mature, flowering plants. | 12 plants per dwelling, including no more than 6 mature, flowering plants. | Alaska AMCO |
| Arizona | 6 plants per adult. | 12 plants at a residence with two or more adults aged 21 or older; secure the grow and keep it out of public view. | A.R.S. § 36-2852 |
| California | 6 living plants at a private residence. | The six-plant cap applies to the residence, not separately to every adult. Check local cultivation rules. | HSC § 11362.2; California DCC |
| Colorado | 6 plants per adult, including no more than 3 mature, flowering plants. | 12 plants per residential property for recreational cultivation; local restrictions also matter. | Colorado Legislative Council |
| Connecticut | 3 mature and 3 immature plants per adult. | 12 total plants per household. Grow indoors at the primary residence, away from access by people under 21. | Connecticut home-grow guidance |
| Maine | 6 mature plants, 12 immature plants, and unlimited seedlings per adult. | Follow the state's location, tagging, visibility, and applicable local requirements. | Maine Title 28-B, Chapter 3 |
| Maryland | 2 plants under the adult-use rules. | 2 plants per residence, even with multiple adults. Registered medical patients have a separate allowance. | Maryland § 5-601.2 |
| Massachusetts | 6 plants per adult. | 12 plants in a home with two or more adults. Secure plants and keep them out of public view. | Massachusetts CCC |
| Michigan | 12 plants for personal use at the residence. | No more than 12 plants on the premises at once; additional adult residents do not increase that cap. | MCL § 333.27955 |
| Minnesota | 8 plants, including no more than 4 mature, flowering plants. | The limit applies to a single residence. The grow must be at the primary residence of someone aged 21 or older. | Minnesota OCM |
| Missouri | With a consumer cultivation card: 6 flowering plants, 6 nonflowering plants 14 inches or taller, and 6 nonflowering plants under 14 inches. | Two approved cardholders sharing a residence may have up to 12 in each category. Department approval and an enclosed, locked facility are required. | Missouri DHSS |
| Montana | 2 mature plants and 2 seedlings per adult. | With multiple adults: no more than 4 mature plants and 4 seedlings at a private residence. | Montana Department of Revenue |
| Nevada | 6 plants per adult, with a maximum of 12 at a residence. | Adult-use cultivation is generally prohibited within 25 miles of a licensed adult-use retail store. Separate medical exceptions require checking the medical rules. | NRS Chapter 678D |
| New Mexico | 12 plants for a single adult, including no more than 6 mature, flowering plants. | A household with multiple adults may have no more than 12 mature plants total. | New Mexico RLD |
| New York | 3 mature and 3 immature plants per adult. | 6 mature and 6 immature plants per household, regardless of how many adults live there. | New York OCM |
| Ohio | 6 plants per adult-use consumer. | 12 plants per residence. Cultivation must be at the primary residence in a secured, enclosed area inaccessible to people under 21 and out of public view. | Ohio Revised Code § 3796.04 |
| Oregon | 4 plants per residence. | The cap stays at four regardless of the number of adult residents. | Oregon OLCC |
| Rhode Island | 3 mature and 3 immature plants per dwelling unit. | The same cap applies regardless of how many people live there; security requirements also apply. | R.I. § 21-28.11-22 |
| Vermont | 2 mature and 4 immature plants per dwelling unit. | Additional adult residents do not increase the limit. The grow must meet the property's consent, screening, and access requirements. | 18 V.S.A. § 4230e |
| Virginia | 4 plants per household. | Adults must meet the residence, public-visibility, youth-access, and individual plant-tagging requirements. | Virginia Code § 4.1-1101 |
| Washington, D.C. | 6 plants per adult, including no more than 3 mature, flowering plants. | 12 plants per house or rental unit, including no more than 6 mature, flowering plants; cultivation must be inside the principal residence. | D.C. Code § 48-904.01 |
Legal retail sales do not automatically permit home growing
Before using a dispensary's existence as evidence that you can grow, check the cultivation rule itself. These distinctions are especially important:
- New Jersey: Private home cultivation is not authorized. The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission explicitly distinguishes legal purchases from permission to grow.
- Delaware: Home growing is not permitted. See the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner's FAQ.
- Illinois: The home-grow allowance is for registered qualifying medical cannabis patients, with additional restrictions. It is not a general adult-use allowance. See the Illinois cannabis FAQ.
- Washington state: Home cultivation is limited to qualifying medical patients or designated providers with valid authorization. It is distinct from Washington, D.C. See the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board's guidance.
Other medical programs have their own rules. If your state is not in the adult-use table, check its official medical and adult-use guidance directly. Do not infer permission from possession decriminalization, a pending bill, or rules in a neighboring state.
An important current-law check for October 2026: Ohio
Ohio's current home-grow provision is Revised Code § 3796.04, effective March 20, 2026. It retains the six-plant individual and twelve-plant residence limits. It also specifies a primary-residence requirement, secure growing areas, and restrictions involving rental agreements and certain types of residential facilities.
Check the current section when reviewing your setup. An older article about the original ballot measure may not cover the operative statutory language. An effective date on a statute is a better basis for a compliance check than a headline promising that the law changed “this fall.”
How to read your plant limit correctly
Apply the household cap first when planning shared space
Write down both the personal allowance and the residence maximum before ordering seeds. For example, Oregon's four-plant limit remains four when a second adult moves in. Michigan's twelve-plant premises cap also remains twelve. New York permits separate mature and immature categories, with household caps on each. The official sources linked in the table explain those different structures.
A practical planning sheet should list every plant, its stage, and who is responsible for it. Record the relevant household cap at the top so everyone sharing the space works from the same number. Keeping a journal helps organize your grow; it does not create an exception to a legal limit.
Keep mature, immature, and seedling categories separate
A total plant count and a flowering-plant cap answer different questions. Under Minnesota's adult-use rule, eight plants are possible at a single residence, but only four may be mature and flowering. Vermont instead uses separate limits of two mature and four immature plants per dwelling unit. Maine explicitly identifies seedlings as a separate category.
Use your state's definitions when classifying a plant. Do not assume that a small plant, a rooted clone, or a plant kept under a vegetative light schedule is exempt simply because it has not produced a harvest. Read the applicable definition before planning overlapping grow cycles.
Check the location as carefully as the plant count
Indoor and outdoor rules differ
A legal plant count alone does not establish that a backyard, balcony, garage, or spare room is an approved location. Connecticut requires indoor home cultivation. Colorado requires an enclosed, locked space. Other jurisdictions have public-visibility and access rules that need to be applied to the actual property, not just to a photograph of the grow.
Before choosing an outdoor location, check the state source and your city or county's rules. Confirm whether outdoor cultivation is allowed, whether an enclosure is required, and what must be screened from public view. California's Department of Cannabis Control specifically advises checking local requirements, which can include permits or indoor-only growing.
Registration and plant tags can be required
Missouri's consumer cultivation program requires approval for a cultivation card. Being old enough to buy cannabis does not by itself satisfy that requirement. Virginia requires individual plant tags with specified identifying information and a statement that the plants are for personal use. Maine also has tagging requirements. Review the linked official sources before germination, not after the plants are established.
Review rental and property restrictions
Check the lease and the law that applies to the property. Do not assume that one state's landlord rule applies everywhere. Ohio's current home-grow section expressly addresses rental agreements that prohibit cultivation, while Massachusetts' home cultivation guidance warns renters that landlords may restrict cultivation.
If a lease, local ordinance, or property restriction is unclear, resolve it before installing equipment. A grow tent provides a controlled growing space; it does not resolve a legal question about whether growing is permitted there.
Plan equipment around the rules you have verified
Once you have confirmed permission and limits, choose a setup that you can manage within them. Start with the number of plants you actually intend to maintain, then account for available floor space, access for watering, ventilation, and room to work around the plants. There is no need to fill every legally available plant slot on a first grow.
Our beginner growing guide explains the growing stages, and the setup guides organize equipment by available space. Use the grow planner or a grow diary to track dates and stages. Before beginning a second cycle, check how the new plants affect both your total count and any mature-plant limit.
Frequently asked questions
Can two adults each grow their full personal allowance?
Only to the extent allowed by the household or premises cap. Some states give each adult an allowance subject to a shared maximum; others set one limit for the residence. Read both parts of your state's row and its official source.
Does a medical card automatically increase the adult-use limit?
No general nationwide rule does that. Medical cultivation depends on the particular program and any required authorization. Maryland, for example, permits registered medical patients to cultivate two additional plants, up to four plants at a residence, according to the Maryland Cannabis Administration. Confirm your eligibility before using a medical allowance.
Can I take my harvest into another legal state?
Do not transport cannabis across state lines. California's official consumer guidance explains that state legalization does not authorize interstate transport.
Can I sell extra cannabis from a home grow?
A personal cultivation allowance is not a retail license. New Mexico's personal-use guidance, for example, prohibits unlicensed sales and using cannabis to trade or barter. Gifting rules are also jurisdiction-specific; do not assume that calling a payment a donation makes a transfer lawful.
Where should I check before starting?
Begin with your state's official source in the table, then check relevant local rules and the restrictions applicable to your property. The HomeGrow state directory provides additional state-specific context. Recheck official guidance before changing your plant count, location, or cultivation arrangement.
Legal note: This article provides general information, not individualized legal advice. Laws and agency guidance can change after the review date. Consult current official sources and, where necessary, a qualified attorney about your circumstances.