Alameda County Beekeeping Regulations

Keeping bees in the unincorporated county is an accessory use for which a permit must be obtained, and an apiary is separately named in a permitted use list.

Hive limit: No hive count is set in the code. The control is the permit, not a number.

Note: In unincorporated Alameda County the thing that makes a hive lawful is a permit. The zoning code allows the keeping of bees as an accessory use where a permit has been obtained, and separately names an apiary in a permitted use list, so this is not a county that has simply left beekeeping unaddressed. What the code does not do is tell you which permit or set a hive count, so start by asking the county planning counter what permit § 17.52.230 refers to for your parcel and its zone. Two other points worth knowing. If you plan to sell bees, note that raising animals, bees or birds for sale is excluded from what you may do as a home occupation, which is a different question from whether you may keep hives. And if anyone raises the venomous-animal rules at you, the code expressly excepts honey-producing bees from that definition. Our earlier card cited the county farming rights chapter, which mentions apiculture only inside a definition and regulates nothing; the provision that actually governs you is in the zoning title.

• The keeping of pets, livestock, bees and exotic animals for which a permit has been obtained in accordance with applicable regulations is permitted in addition to those animals otherwise permitted by the zoning title. 17.52.230
• An apiary is named among the permitted uses, alongside crop, vine or tree farms, truck gardens, plant nurseries, greenhouses, aviaries, hatcheries and horticulture. 17.06.030
• The raising for sale of animals, bees or birds is not among the uses allowed as a home occupation. 17.52.210
• Honey-producing bees are expressly excepted from the definition of an animal venomous to human beings, so the venomous-animal restrictions do not reach them. 5.28.020
• Apiculture is inside the definition of an agricultural operation for the purposes of the county farming rights (right-to-farm) chapter. 6.28.010

No beekeeping provisions found in this code by a 2026 search.

Note: A 2026 search of this jurisdiction's full Municode code found no match for any beekeeping term (bees, beekeeping, apiary, apiculture, hive and related words). That is a search of the published code, not a lawyer's reading: a rule could still exist if it avoids all of those words, sits in a separate code not published here, or was adopted after the search. Confirm at the source before relying on it.

Bees are named as not permissible by default. Keeping them requires express written approval from the City, and the code sets no standards for granting it.

Hive limit: Not confirmed — see the code

Note: Read in full 2026-08. Two things worth knowing. The only bee provision in the animal code sits in the GENERAL PURPOSE section, not in an operative chapter, and the definitions at § 10-1.2 do not define bee, hive or apiary at all, nor do they include bees under "animal" or "livestock". So there is no hive limit, no setback and no published application process anywhere in the chapter: the entire answer is that the City must approve you in writing first, and it may decline.

• Any animal not included as permissible, including but not limited to cattle, horses, bees, livestock, roosters, and any wild or dangerous animals, may not take up residence in the City of Albany without express written approval of the City. The City may take any necessary steps to abate the presence of these unpermitted animals. 10-1.1

Using a smoker in Wildland-Urban Interface areas requires a permit from the code official.

Note: This card previously said Berkeley had no apiary provisions, while citing an apiary section. Both cannot be true. The provision exists and governs practice rather than ownership: in Wildland-Urban Interface areas, which include much of the Berkeley hills, lighting a smoker needs a permit from the code official. Only the fire appendix has been read, so whether Berkeley separately regulates the keeping of bees is still unconfirmed.

• Lighted and smoldering material shall not be used in connection with smoking bees in or upon Wildland-Urban Interface areas except by permit from the code official. A104.13

No beekeeping ordinance. The animal control code expressly excludes honey-producing bees from its venomous-animal prohibition.

Note: A 2026 read found one bee reference in the whole code, and it is an exclusion rather than a restriction: bees are specifically carved out of the venomous-animal prohibition. So the absence of apiary rules here is a decision, not an oversight. California still requires apiary registration with the county agricultural commissioner (BeeWhere) regardless of local rules.

• The prohibition on venomous animals covers any species venomous to human beings, whether by bite, sting, touch or other means, except honey-producing bees. 5.36

No beekeeping provisions. A 2026 read found no match for bees, apiary or hive anywhere in the code.

Hive limit: Not confirmed — see the code

Note: Searched by hand in 2026 for bees, apiary and hive, with no match. That is a result rather than a gap. California still requires apiary registration with the county agricultural commissioner (BeeWhere) regardless of local rules, so no local ordinance never means no obligations.

No city permit and no hive limit, but registration with Alameda County is required and hives must be sited so bees disperse rather than concentrate.

Note: This card previously showed a hive limit tiered by lot size and a 5 ft property-line setback. Neither is current. The hive limit was in § 6.40.040 and was REPEALED by Ord. 10-2022; that section now reads simply "Repealed", and § 6.10.140 sets no cap. The 5 ft figure is real but far narrower than published: it applies only within townhouse-style developments and is measured to balconies, private yards and common open space, not property lines. Note also that § 18.25 still cross-references "Sections 6.10.140 and 6.40.030" for allowed quantities, but 6.40.030 governs pigeons, doves and rabbits.

• Installing and maintaining apiaries does not require a city permit or registration. All apiaries must be registered with Alameda County under Food and Agriculture Code Section 29040 et seq., and equipment and hives must be kept in good condition with adequate space and management to prevent overcrowding and swarming. 6.10.140(a)
• Apiaries must be placed so bees disperse rather than concentrate before encountering neighbors or the public. At least one dispersal strategy is required, such as managing the direction and angle of the flyway by siting and orienting hives and using flyway barriers, and the animal services manager may require additional measures. 6.10.140(c)
• On multiple dwelling lots the responsible beekeeper must obtain written consent from the property owner or homeowners association, and give written notice to all current residents and owners at least 10 days beforehand, including the beekeeper name, telephone and email. The beekeeper must also clearly stencil their name and phone number on the hive exterior. 6.10.140(e)
• Within dwelling group developments such as townhouses, hives may not be placed within five feet of any private balcony, private yard or common open space, except space exclusively owned or leased by the responsible beekeeper. 6.10.140(f)
• Failure to keep bees in accordance with this section is a public nuisance subject to abatement. 6.10.140(g)

Apiaries need a lot of at least 4,000 square feet, and no parcel under 40,000 square feet may have more than two hives.

Hive limit: The cap is set by parcel size rather than by a flat number: two hives below 40,000 sq ft, and none at all below 4,000 sq ft.

Note: Hayward ties beekeeping to how big your lot is rather than to a flat hive count, and the first question to answer is therefore the size of your parcel. Below 4,000 square feet you may not keep an apiary at all. Between 4,000 and 40,000 square feet you may keep two hives. Above 40,000 square feet the two-hive ceiling stops applying, though you should confirm with the city what governs instead. There is also a permit step: a Zoning Conformance Permit for beekeeping requires that every property owner within 100 feet be notified, so speak to your immediate neighbours before you file rather than after. Two cautions on the detail. The residential use table permits apiaries in some districts and not others, and we could not read which columns were which from the published table, so ask the planning counter to confirm your district rather than assuming. And the setback figures shown on this card come from an earlier compilation that we have not been able to re-confirm against § 10-1.2735(f); treat them as a prompt to ask, not as the rule.

• For apiaries the minimum lot area is 4,000 square feet. 10-1.2735(e)(c)
• In no case shall the number of hives exceed two for a parcel smaller than 40,000 square feet, or zero for a parcel smaller than 4,000 square feet. 10-1.2735(e)(c)
• Apiaries are marked permitted in two of the residential districts in the use table and not permitted in the others, subject to § 10-1.2735(f). The table columns were not legible in our capture, so confirm your own district with the city. 10-1.202
• An apiary is defined as any premises where bees, hives and related appliances are located. 10-1.3510
• The development code routes livestock, apiaries and household pets back to the § 10-1.2735(e) standards. 10-28.3.5.030

No beekeeping provisions. A 2026 read found no match for bees, hive or apiary anywhere in the code.

Hive limit: Not confirmed — see the code

Note: Searched by hand in 2026 for bees, hive and apiary, with no match. That is a result rather than a gap. California still requires apiary registration with the county agricultural commissioner (BeeWhere) regardless of local rules, so no local ordinance never means no obligations.

An animal fancier's permit from the animal control officer is required, and the number of hives is tiered by the size of your parcel. Five hives on an acre or more, three on half an acre or more, three at ten thousand square feet, two at eight thousand and one at six thousand. Bees may be kept for noncommercial, recreational, educational or food source purposes.

Hive limit: Tiered by parcel area at § 6.32.030(B): five beehives on one acre or more, three on half an acre or more, three on ten thousand square feet or greater, two on eight thousand or greater, and one on six thousand or greater. The code sets no allowance below six thousand square feet.

Note: Start by measuring your lot, because in Newark the lot size is the rule. Five hives if you have an acre or more, three at half an acre or more, three at ten thousand square feet, two at eight thousand and one at six thousand. Below six thousand square feet the section provides no allowance at all. Then get the permit: § 6.32.030 requires an animal fancier's permit from the animal control officer before keeping bees, and the same permit covers chickens, ducks, geese and rabbits. Keeping must be for noncommercial, recreational, educational or food source purposes, so selling honey commercially is outside what this section provides for. Any structure, fence or enclosure you build for the bees is subject to rules and regulations set by the city council, so ask what those are when you apply. One thing the code does not answer cleanly, and you should raise it with the animal control officer rather than assume. Subsection A says the animals may be kept on parcels zoned but not developed for commercial or industrial purposes, and on parcels zoned agricultural other than open space. Taken literally that list does not mention residential zoning, which is hard to square with subsection B setting a hive allowance for a six thousand square foot lot. The wording dates from 1979. Ask which parcels the city treats as qualifying before you buy bees. California still requires apiary registration with the Alameda County agricultural commissioner whatever the city does.

• Obtain an animal fancier's permit from the animal control officer before keeping bees. § 6.32.030(A)
• Bees may be kept for noncommercial, recreational, educational or food source purposes. § 6.32.030(A)
• On a parcel of one acre or more, up to five beehives. § 6.32.030(B)(1)
• On a parcel of half an acre or more, up to three beehives. § 6.32.030(B)(2)
• On a parcel of ten thousand square feet or greater, up to three beehives. § 6.32.030(B)(3)
• On a parcel of eight thousand square feet or greater, up to two beehives. § 6.32.030(B)(4)
• On a parcel of six thousand square feet or greater, one beehive. The section sets no allowance for a smaller parcel. § 6.32.030(B)(5)
• Structures, fences or enclosures for keeping the animals are subject to rules and regulations established by the city council. § 6.32.030(C)
• Which parcels qualify is not stated clearly. Subsection A names parcels zoned but not developed for commercial or industrial purposes, and agricultural parcels other than open space, and does not mention residential zoning, while the hive tiers go down to a six thousand square foot lot. Ask the animal control officer before relying on either reading. § 6.32.030(A) read with (B)
• Honey-producing bees are expressly excepted from the definition of an exotic animal, so the venomous-animal restrictions do not reach them. § 6.08.140

Beekeeping with no more than three hives is a Limited Agricultural Activity. Above three hives it is reclassified as an Extensive Agricultural Activity, which is a different use.

Hive limit: Three is the boundary between two use classes rather than a penalty threshold. A fourth hive changes what the activity is, and therefore where it may be carried on.

Note: Oakland allows beekeeping and the number that matters is three. Up to three hives, what you are doing is a Limited Agricultural Activity. At four, it is no longer that use at all; it becomes an Extensive Agricultural Activity, which is a separate category allowed in fewer places. That is worth understanding properly, because it is not a fine for a fourth hive, it is a change in what your property is being used for, so check where Extensive Agricultural Activities are allowed before you expand. The same three-hive allowance is written into the community garden rules, so a garden may keep bees without losing its status, provided it stays at or under three hives and does not take on other livestock. Oakland also has a pollinator provision that is often mistaken for a beekeeping rule: the city must publish information about neonicotinoid pesticides and promote bee-friendly alternatives. That is a duty on the city and asks nothing of you. Our earlier card cited the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center district zoning chapter, which mentions bees only in passing.

• Limited Agricultural Activities include bee keeping activities involving no more than three hives. 17.10.610
• Extensive Agricultural Activities include bee keeping activities involving more than three hives, together with the keeping, grazing or feeding of more than three livestock animals. 17.10.615
• Community gardens are permitted as an Essential Service provided they do not include livestock production or the cultivation of animals or animal products by agricultural methods, except for bee keeping involving no more than three hives. 17.10.140, 17.78.030, 17.101D.030
• The City Administrator must publish information on the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on bees and other pollinators and promote less harmful alternatives and bee-friendly planting. This is a duty on the city, not on beekeepers. 18.04.050

No beekeeping or apiary provisions found in the Piedmont code.

Hive limit: None found in the code.

Note: Searched the current Piedmont code in August 2026 for beekeeping terms — no matches. The 2020 record said the same but nothing had confirmed it; this is that confirmation. It means no provision was found, not that beekeeping is unregulated: California still requires apiary registration with the county agricultural commissioner (BeeWhere), and Alameda County rules may apply.

A beekeeping permit from the zoning administrator is required, and beekeeping is allowed only in the A district or on detached single-family property in R-1, RM or the Downtown Specific Plan Area.

Hive limit: Two hives on detached single-family property in the R-1, RM or Downtown Specific Plan areas, and up to ten in the A (Agricultural) district. The zoning administrator may approve more.

Note: The published hive limits and the 5 ft setback were already correct. What the card lacked was that a permit is required at all, and the operating standards that come with it. Two are unusual: the beekeeper must personally inspect each hive at least three times between March and October, and must requeen every two years. The permit is also personal, so it does not transfer with the property.

• A permit application goes to the zoning administrator with a fee, the property owner’s written consent where the applicant is a tenant, a statement on whether any CC&Rs allow beekeeping, and a scaled site drawing showing the hive, water source and flyway barrier. 18.103.030
• An approved permit applies only to the named beekeeper and parcel and does not run with the land. 18.103.070
• In the R-1, RM and Downtown Specific Plan areas the beekeeper must reside at the property where the hive is located. 18.103.080(B)
• Hives must be at least five feet from side and rear property lines and are not allowed between the front property line and the house. Siting in the A district is reviewed case by case. 18.103.080(C)
• Colonies must be in inspectable hives, have a water source within ten feet of the hive (dripping faucets do not count), and have a flyway barrier at the hive opening forcing bees to cross the property line at least six feet up, no more than seven feet tall, extending beyond either side of the hive. 18.103.080(E)
• Hives must have removable frames, be kept off the ground, and be inspected by the beekeeper at least three times between March 1st and October 1st each year. 18.103.080(F)
• A hive including its stand may not exceed four feet in height, and each hive must be requeened at least once every two years to prevent swarming. 18.103.080(I),(J)
• The city inspects the site and hives between one and three weeks after the bees arrive, and the beekeeper must be present. 18.103.080(M)
• Bees or hives are a public nuisance if the bees swarm or abscond, if hives are abandoned, or if the beekeeping does not conform to the chapter. Violations draw administrative fines and the permit may be suspended, modified or revoked. 18.103.090

A beekeeping permit is required for any number of hives, granted only after an Animal Control inspection and renewed every two years.

Hive limit: Three hives maximum, and no hives at all on a parcel under 6,000 sq ft.

Note: The published numbers were already correct. What was missing is that beekeeping here is permit-only for any number of hives, gated on an Animal Control inspection and a finding about neighbouring properties, renewed every two years, and personal to the applicant so it does not transfer with the property.

• A beekeeping permit is required for the keeping of any number of hives on any lot or parcel within the city. 4-11-1400
• Animal Control Services inspects the premises before a permit is issued, and the reviewing officer must find that the hives will not unreasonably disturb the health or safety of residents on adjoining properties. 4-11-1405(a),(c)
• No hive may be kept on a parcel of less than 6,000 square feet, no more than three hives may be maintained on any property, and the owner’s name, address and hive locations must be registered with Animal Control Services. 4-11-1405(b)(1)-(3)
• Hives must be in the rear of the property, at least five feet from any side or rear lot line and more than fifty feet from any existing dwelling or any dwelling with an issued building permit. No hives in a front yard. 4-11-1405(b)(4),(5)
• Hive entrances must face a house or building on the premises, and the hives must be surrounded by a solid fence at least six feet high sited no farther than thirty feet from them. The fence may be open on the side facing that house or building. 4-11-1405(b)(6)
• A reliable water supply adequate for the hives must be maintained on the premises at all times. Running water is preferred, but a pond or fountain satisfies the code. 4-11-1405(b)(7)
• The permit is personal to the applicant and does not run with the land, and must be renewed every two years for a fee set by Council resolution. 4-11-1405(d),(e)
• The permit must be produced for inspection on request, and the premises may be entered at any reasonable hour for inspection by Animal Control. 4-11-1405(f),(g)

No beekeeping ordinance. Bees are expressly excluded from the exotic-animal definition, so the exotic-animal permit does not apply to them.

Hive limit: Not confirmed — see the code

Note: Union City requires a City Manager permit to keep an exotic animal, and the definition of exotic animal specifically excludes honey-producing bees. So no permit is needed for bees and the city sets no apiary standards. California still requires apiary registration with the county agricultural commissioner (BeeWhere) regardless of local rules.

• The exotic animal definition covers any species venomous to human beings, whether by bite, sting, touch or other means, except honey producing bees. 8.20.010