Marijuana home cultivation is legal in much of the United States, but the rules vary significantly depending on where you live.
As of August 2026, 25 states and Washington, D.C., allow marijuana to be grown at home in some form. In most of those states, adults 21 and older can cultivate marijuana for personal use, while several limit home growing to registered medical marijuana patients.
Plant limits also vary considerably. Some states allow only two or four plants per household, while others allow six or 12, and several distinguish between mature and immature plants. Many states also require plants to be kept in a locked or enclosed area and hidden from public view.
Here are the states where marijuana can legally be grown at home in 2026.
States Where Adults Can Grow Recreational Marijuana at Home
Alaska
Adults 21 and older in Alaska can grow up to six marijuana plants, although no more than three may be mature or flowering at one time. A residence with multiple adults may contain up to 12 plants, including no more than six mature plants.
Arizona
Arizona allows adults 21 and older to cultivate up to six marijuana plants at their primary residence. If two or more adults live in the home, the limit increases to 12 plants.
Plants must be kept in an enclosed, locked area and cannot be visible from a public place.
California
Adults 21 and older in California can grow up to six marijuana plants for personal use.
The six-plant limit applies to a residence rather than to each individual living there. Cities and counties may impose additional requirements on where and how marijuana can be grown, although they cannot completely prohibit indoor personal cultivation.
Colorado
Colorado allows adults 21 and older to grow up to six marijuana plants, with no more than three mature or flowering at one time. State law generally limits a residence to 12 plants regardless of how many adults live there, although certain medical marijuana and local rules can differ.
Connecticut
Connecticut allows adults 21 and older to grow up to three mature and three immature marijuana plants.
Households are limited to 12 plants total, including no more than six mature plants. Plants must be grown indoors, secured from access by people under 21 and kept out of public view.
Maine
Adults 21 and older in Maine may cultivate up to six mature marijuana plants, 12 immature plants and an unlimited number of seedlings for personal use.
Maryland
Maryland allows adults 21 and older to grow up to two marijuana plants for personal use, with a maximum of two plants per household.
Registered medical marijuana patients may cultivate two additional plants, allowing a residence with a qualifying patient to contain as many as four plants. Property owners and landlords may prohibit cultivation on their property.
Massachusetts
Adults 21 and older in Massachusetts can grow up to six marijuana plants at home. If two or more adults live in the residence, the household limit is 12 plants.
Plants must be kept in a secure location and cannot be visible from a public place without the use of binoculars, aircraft or other optical aids.
Michigan
Michigan has one of the country’s higher home cultivation limits, allowing adults 21 and older to grow up to 12 marijuana plants at their residence for personal use.
Minnesota
Minnesota allows adults 21 and older to cultivate up to eight marijuana plants at a single residence, with no more than four mature or flowering at one time.
The plants must be grown at the person’s primary residence in an enclosed and locked space that is not open to public view.
Missouri
Missouri allows adults 21 and older to grow marijuana after receiving a consumer personal cultivation card.
An individual cultivator may grow up to six flowering plants, six nonflowering plants at least 14 inches tall and six smaller nonflowering plants. Cultivation must take place in a locked and enclosed area at a private residence.
Larger limits apply when multiple authorized cultivators share the same cultivation space.
Montana
Adults 21 and older in Montana may grow up to two mature marijuana plants and two seedlings for personal use.
When multiple adults live in the same residence, the household may generally contain up to four mature plants and four seedlings. Registered medical marijuana cardholders are allowed higher limits.
Nevada
Nevada’s home cultivation law is more restrictive than those in most legal marijuana states.
Adults 21 and older generally may grow up to six plants per person, with a household maximum of 12, but recreational home cultivation is allowed only when the person’s residence is more than 25 miles from a state-licensed marijuana retailer.
Plants must be kept in an enclosed, locked area and cannot be visible from a public place.
New Mexico
New Mexico allows adults 21 and older to cultivate marijuana at a private residence.
An individual may possess up to 12 plants, with no more than six mature or flowering plants. At a residence with multiple adults, no more than 12 mature plants may be grown at one time.
New York
Adults 21 and older in New York may grow up to six marijuana plants, including no more than three mature and three immature plants.
A household with multiple adults may grow no more than 12 plants total, consisting of up to six mature and six immature plants. Cultivation areas must be secured and inaccessible to people under 21.
Ohio
Ohio allows adults 21 and older to cultivate up to six marijuana plants at their primary residence, with a maximum of 12 plants in a household with two or more adults.
Plants must be secured, inaccessible to people under 21 and not visible from a public space. Rental agreements may prohibit tenants from growing marijuana on the property.
Ohio lawmakers revised portions of the state’s adult-use marijuana law in 2026, with the current home cultivation provisions taking effect March 20.
Oregon
Adults 21 and older in Oregon may grow up to four marijuana plants at home.
Unlike states that set limits per adult, Oregon’s four-plant limit applies to the entire household regardless of how many adults live there.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island allows adults 21 and older to grow up to three mature and three immature marijuana plants per dwelling unit.
The household limit does not increase when multiple adults live at the same residence. Plants must be grown indoors, secured and kept out of public view.
Vermont
Vermont allows adults 21 and older to grow up to two mature and four immature marijuana plants at a residence.
The limits apply to the household rather than to each individual adult. Plants must be kept away from access by unauthorized people and cannot be visible from a public place.
Virginia
Virginia allows adults 21 and older to grow up to four marijuana plants at their primary residence, with a maximum of four plants per household.
Plants cannot be visible from a public street and must be reasonably protected from access by people under 21. State law also requires each plant to be tagged with identifying information for the person cultivating it.
Washington, D.C.
Adults 21 and older in Washington, D.C., can grow up to six marijuana plants at their primary residence, with no more than three mature plants at one time.
If multiple adults live in the residence, the maximum increases to 12 plants, including no more than six mature plants.
Adult-Use States Where Home Growing Is Limited to Medical Marijuana Patients
Two states have legalized recreational marijuana possession and sales but continue to restrict home cultivation to medical marijuana patients.
Illinois
Illinois allows registered qualifying medical marijuana patients to grow up to five marijuana plants at their household.
Recreational marijuana consumers who are not registered medical patients are not allowed to legally cultivate marijuana at home.
Washington
Washington is another state where recreational marijuana is legal but general adult-use home cultivation remains prohibited.
Registered medical marijuana patients entered into the state database may generally grow six plants, while a healthcare practitioner can authorize up to 15 plants. Patients with a valid medical authorization who choose not to register may grow up to four plants.
No more than 15 plants may generally be grown at a single housing unit under the medical program.
Medical-Only States That Allow Marijuana Home Cultivation
Three states that have not legalized recreational marijuana nevertheless allow qualifying medical marijuana patients to grow plants at home.
Hawaii
Hawaii’s medical marijuana program allows registered patients and qualifying caregivers to cultivate marijuana under certain conditions.
State law defines an adequate supply as no more than 10 marijuana plants, whether mature or immature, for each qualifying patient.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma medical marijuana patients with a valid license may grow up to six mature marijuana plants and six seedlings.
State rules also include requirements concerning plant visibility and where cultivation may occur.
South Dakota
Registered South Dakota medical marijuana patients whose registry identification cards authorize cultivation may grow up to two flowering and two nonflowering marijuana plants.
Patients may also possess marijuana produced by those plants at the same property where they are cultivated.
Two Recreational Marijuana States Still Ban Home Cultivation Entirely
Delaware and New Jersey are notable exceptions among states with legal recreational marijuana.
Both allow legal adult-use marijuana sales but prohibit consumers from cultivating marijuana at home, including for personal recreational use. Unlike Illinois and Washington, neither state currently provides a broad medical home cultivation option either.
That means the 24 states with legal recreational marijuana are divided into three groups: 20 allow adults to grow at home, Illinois and Washington reserve home cultivation for medical patients, and Delaware and New Jersey prohibit it.
Home cultivation laws can include additional restrictions involving landlords, local ordinances, outdoor cultivation, security, visibility and the number of plants allowed at different stages of growth. Anyone planning to grow marijuana should check current state and local rules before planting, particularly as marijuana laws continue to change across the country.
