There is no single national number. Legal marijuana plant counts are set state by state, and the most common adult-use limit is 6 plants per adult with a household cap of 12. Limits range from 2 plants per household in Maryland to 12 mature plants per household in Michigan, and several states that allow recreational sales still ban home cultivation entirely. Federal law still lists cannabis as a Schedule I drug, so every plant count below is a state permission, not a federal right.
Penalty for Exceeding Plant Count at Pop's Cannabis
How many marijuana plants can you legally grow in each state?
Below are home cultivation limits for states that have legalized adult-use cannabis, listed alphabetically. Rules change often, so confirm your count with your state cannabis regulator before planting.
how many plants can you grow in my state
- Alaska: 6 plants per adult, 12 per household.
- Arizona: 6 plants per adult, 12 per household.
- California: 6 plants per residence for adults 21 and older.
- Colorado: 6 plants per adult with no more than 3 flowering, 12 per residence.
- Connecticut: 3 mature and 3 immature plants per adult, capped at 6 mature and 12 total per household.
- Delaware: 6 plants per adult, 12 per household.
- District of Columbia: 6 plants per adult with no more than 3 mature, 12 per household.
- Illinois: 5 plants for registered medical patients only, 10 per household. Recreational home grow is not allowed.
- Maine: 6 flowering and 12 immature plants per adult, 12 mature per household.
- Maryland: 2 plants per household.
- Massachusetts: 6 plants per adult, 12 per household.
- Michigan: 12 plants per household for adults 21 and older.
- Minnesota: 8 plants per adult with no more than 4 flowering, 16 per household.
- Missouri: 6 flowering plants per adult, 12 per household.
- Montana: 4 mature and 4 seedlings per adult, 8 per household.
- Nevada: 6 plants per adult, 12 per household, allowed only if no licensed dispensary sits within 25 miles of the home.
- New Mexico: 6 mature plants per adult, 12 per household.
- New York: 6 plants per adult with no more than 3 mature, 12 per household.
- Ohio: 6 plants per adult, 12 per household.
- Oregon: 4 plants per residence for recreational growers. Medical cardholders can grow more under state medical rules.
- Rhode Island: 6 plants per adult with no more than 3 mature, 12 per household.
- Vermont: 6 plants per adult with no more than 2 mature, 12 per household.
- Virginia: 4 plants per household.
Which legal states do not allow home grow?
A legal dispensary does not automatically mean a legal garden. New Jersey prohibits home cultivation for both recreational and medical consumers, and Washington bans it for recreational users while allowing registered patients up to 6 plants, or 15 with a health care professional's authorization. Illinois also blocks recreational home grow, limiting cultivation to medical patients.
how many plants can you grow in my state
Does the limit apply per person or per household?
Both caps usually apply at once. In a state with a 6-plant personal limit and a 12-plant household cap, two adults can each grow 6, but a third roommate cannot add 6 more because the household is already at 12. Always follow the lower of the two numbers.
Do medical marijuana patients get a higher plant count?
Often yes, but the extra allowance comes from the medical program, not the recreational law. Oregon, Washington, and Illinois all let registered patients grow plants that recreational users cannot, and some states allow a caregiver to cultivate for multiple patients under a separate license. Medical plant counts are typically tied to a 60-day or 90-day supply rather than a simple number.
Do seedlings and clones count toward the limit?
It depends on the state. Colorado, Connecticut, and Vermont count only mature or flowering plants against the main cap, which lets growers keep additional immature plants. Most other states count every rooted plant regardless of size, so a tray of clones can put you over the limit.
What happens if you exceed the plant limit?
Going over the count can strip you of legal protection entirely. Penalties range from civil fines and mandatory plant destruction in legal states to felony cultivation charges in states with strict plant-count thresholds, and the severity usually climbs with each additional plant.
Do federal rules override state plant limits?
Yes, federal law still applies. Cannabis remains a Schedule I controlled substance, and there is no federal plant allowance for personal use, so state legalization protects you only within that state's borders and only if you stay inside its limits.