Chittenden County VT Dispensaries: All 21 Shops in Burlington, Winooski, Essex, and Milton (2026)

Chittenden County is Vermont's most populous county and, by a wide margin, its largest cannabis market. The 21 CCB-licensed adult-use dispensaries spread across five active municipalities represent roughly a third of all adult-use retailers in Vermont — and they range from a shop open until 2 AM on Friday nights to a drive-through pickup window, from Vermont's first co-located medical and recreational retailer to a zero-proof bottle shop hybrid dispensary. Burlington's Church Street cluster is the most walkable cannabis-shopping destination in New England north of Boston. This guide covers all 21 shops across every active Chittenden County municipality.

TL;DR: 21 dispensaries in 5 towns. Burlington (12 shops, 21% tax) has Vermont's most walkable cannabis cluster — 6 shops within 3 blocks of Church Street — plus The Herb Closet, open until 2 AM on Friday and Saturday nights. Winooski (3 shops, 21% tax) is 5 minutes from Burlington with free parking and Hello, Hi, Vermont's first co-located medical + adult-use dispensary. Essex Junction (3 shops, 21% tax) and Essex Center (1 shop, 20% — no local option tax) form a suburban cluster 15 minutes east, anchored by Magic Mann (the area's other integrated medical shop, daily until 9 PM) and Gaston Weed's drive-through pickup window. Milton (2 shops, 20% tax) is 20 minutes north on US-7. South Burlington, Colchester, and Williston — three of the county's most commercially active towns — have zero licensed dispensaries.

All 21 shops at a glance

Burlington (21% tax) — 12 shops

Winooski (21% tax) — 3 shops

Essex Junction & Essex Center (21% / 20% tax) — 4 shops

Milton (20% tax) — 2 shops

Burlington: Church Street cluster and beyond

Burlington's 12 dispensaries fall into four zones. The Church Street cluster — Float On, Garcia's, True 802, Lucky You, Bern Gallery, and Green Leaf Central — spans three walkable blocks along Vermont's pedestrian commercial street. You can comparison-shop multiple shops in under 10 minutes on foot. True 802 closes at 10 PM on Fridays and Saturdays; Float On runs until midnight those same nights; if you want the full downtown range, arrive by 9:30 PM Saturday.

Pearl Street, one block north, holds Green Haven Herbals at number 18 and The Herb Closet at 196. The Herb Closet opened in 2024 as Burlington's first Black-owned dispensary. Its hours — 8 AM to midnight every day, with a 2 AM close Friday and Saturday — make it the only shop in Chittenden County that serves both early commuters (it opens an hour before most downtown shops) and late-night crowds (it closes hours after everything else). The Herb Closet is the single best answer to "which Burlington shop is open right now" at any point between 8 AM Thursday and 2 AM Sunday morning.

The South End along Pine and Saint Paul streets holds Heybud Dispensary (291 Saint Paul St) and Upstate Elevator (699 Pine St). Heybud's 8 AM Monday–Saturday open and 10 PM close make it the South End's best all-day option; its dedicated parking is a significant advantage over the Church Street meter situation. Upstate Elevator is Burlington's flagship Vermont-grown showcase — a 2,000-square-foot showroom with dedicated lots, I-89 Exit 13 proximity, and over 60 in-state strains at launch. Judy's Holistic Solution at 64 Archibald Street serves the Old North End as an intentionally small, appointment-feel shop; hours vary, call ahead.

Herbmont at 191 Bank Street is the newest Burlington shop, opened June 2026 at the Bank / Center Street corner — a prominent brick building with a tower, one block from Church Street Marketplace and walking distance from the Flynn Theatre and Burlington waterfront. It's open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 PM, and closed Monday and Tuesday; confirm the latest at herbmont.com.

Winooski: three shops, free parking, five minutes from Burlington

Winooski is Vermont's smallest and densest city, packed onto the east bank of the Winooski River just across from Burlington's Old North End. Three licensed adult-use dispensaries are within a 5-minute walk of the Winooski roundabout, and the parking situation is dramatically easier than Burlington's metered downtown core.

Winooski Organics and Dome City are on the same East Allen Street block — you can visit both without moving your car. Winooski Organics (opens 8:30 AM daily, closes 9 PM Thursday through Saturday) emphasizes craft Vermont cultivators with COA transparency. Dome City runs a deli-style counter where you can see and smell unpackaged flower before buying, with standing discounts for veterans, seniors, students, and hospitality workers; it's often the lowest-priced of the three on staple flower. Hello, Hi on Main Street holds Vermont's only co-located medical and adult-use license — registered medical patients can buy their full allotment and save the 20% excise tax in a single shop visit. Its effect-based menu (organized by how you want to feel, not by strain or indica/sativa) is consistently the most approachable for first-time buyers.

Essex Junction and Essex Center

Essex Junction's three shops are about 15 minutes east of Burlington via Williston Road (US-2). The High Bar (159 Pearl St) and Sweetspot (139 Pearl St) are directly across the street from each other — a convenient same-stop comparison. Magic Mann at the Essex Shoppes (21 Essex Way) is the cluster's anchor: integrated medical + adult-use license, daily hours until 9 PM, and in-house cultivation. Magic Mann also accepts credit cards; The High Bar accepts credit cards and Apple Pay. If you regularly need card payment at a Vermont dispensary, these two Essex Junction shops are your most reliable options in the county.

Gaston Weed Company at 100 Center Road is in Essex Center — the rural, northern part of the Town of Essex off VT-15, about 10–12 minutes north of Essex Junction and 20 minutes from Burlington. The drive-through pickup window is unique in Chittenden County. Gaston produces in-house live resin extracts and gummies, so the concentrate and edibles selection is made on-premises rather than sourced wholesale. Hours are more restricted than the Junction shops (11 AM Monday–Saturday, 11 AM–5 PM Sunday). Because the Town of Essex has not adopted a local option cannabis tax, Gaston charges Vermont's base 20% — 1% below the Essex Junction shops.

Milton: US-7 corridor, 20% tax

Milton is a 20-minute drive north of Burlington on US-7, serving local residents and travelers heading toward St. Albans or the Champlain Islands. 3 J's Cannabis at 546 US Route 7 promotes Vermont's largest bud bar — a wide visible display of small-cultivator flower you can inspect before choosing. Milton Remedies at 3 Southerberry Drive runs a loyalty rewards program ($1 in credit per $20 spent) and offers 10% off for Milton residents. Both shops are open seven days with slightly shorter hours Sunday and Monday–Thursday. The 20% tax rate at both shops — 1% less than Burlington, Winooski, and Essex Junction — makes Milton a practical choice for regular buyers doing the math.

Tax comparison and medical savings

Burlington, Winooski, and the City of Essex Junction each charge 21% total. Milton and Essex Center (Gaston Weed) charge Vermont's base 20%. On a $60 pre-tax eighth: $12.60 in tax at 21%-rate shops vs. $12 at 20%-rate shops. The difference compounds for regular buyers making multiple purchases per month.

Vermont registered medical patients who shop at an integrated retailer save significantly more — roughly 20% off every purchase by avoiding both the 14% excise tax and the 6% sales tax. In Chittenden County, Hello, Hi (Winooski) and Magic Mann (Essex Junction) are the only shops with integrated licenses. Burlington has no open integrated dispensary as of mid-2026.

Towns with no dispensaries

Three of Chittenden County's most commercially developed municipalities have no licensed dispensaries. South Burlington (~20,000 residents, home to Burlington International Airport) has none — nearest options are Upstate Elevator or Heybud in Burlington's South End (~7 min) or Essex Junction (~10–12 min east). Colchester (~19,000 residents, Saint Michael's College) has none — Winooski's shops are 5–8 minutes south on US-2. Williston (~10,000 residents, Taft Corners commercial hub) has none — Essex Junction shops are 8–12 minutes north. Each can authorize adult-use retail through a local option vote; the CCB licensee list is updated weekly and new shops will be listed here on approval.

Vermont cannabis law in Chittenden County (2026)

Vermont's S.278 (Act 176) updated adult-use possession limits effective July 1, 2026. Adults 21 and older may now possess up to 2 oz of flower and 10 g of concentrate — up from the prior 1 oz / 5 g limits. Edibles remain capped at 500 mg THC. Home cultivation of up to six plants per household (two mature, four immature) is legal. Public consumption is prohibited everywhere in Vermont — Burlington's Church Street Marketplace, the waterfront, parks, and inside vehicles all qualify. See Vermont Cannabis Law Changes 2026 (S.278) for the full picture.

See also: Best Dispensary Near Me Burlington VT — all 12 Burlington shops by neighborhood; Best Dispensary Near Me Winooski VT — the three Winooski shops with parking guide; Best Dispensary Near Me Essex Junction VT — Magic Mann, The High Bar, and Sweetspot; Best Dispensary Near Me Milton VT — 3 J's Cannabis and Milton Remedies; Chittenden County Dispensary Crawl — multi-stop route guide; Franklin County dispensary guide — two shops in Saint Albans; Lamoille County dispensary guide — 8 shops on the Route 15 corridor; Washington County dispensary guide — 7 shops around Montpelier, Barre, and Waitsfield; Vermont Cannabis Law Changes 2026 (S.278) — new possession limits effective July 1, 2026; Vermont Strain Match — find the right product by effect; full Vermont dispensary directory.