Contra Costa County Beekeeping Regulations

Beekeeping is prohibited or declared a nuisance here. Read the linked section for scope and any exceptions before keeping bees.

• (e) A fresh water source for bees must be provided at all times on a lot on which an apiary is located. 82-50.406
• (a) Keeping or maintaining an apiary is prohibited in a -UE district. 84-79.404

Bees may be kept only in an agricultural or open space zoning district, and only with a permit from the Animal Control Supervisor.

Note: Read in full in 2026. The published sentence was already correct; what the card lacked was that a permit is required at all, and the finding the Animal Control Supervisor must make before granting it. In practice the zoning limit is the harder gate: residential parcels are excluded outright. Note that the three-quarter-acre minimum at § 6-1.602(F) covers horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and wild animals, and does NOT apply to bees.

• Bees may only be kept in an agricultural or open space zoning district and with a permit from the Animal Control Supervisor. 6-1.602(E)
• Before issuing the permit the Animal Control Supervisor must find that keeping the bees is not likely to harm them, create a public nuisance or health hazard, or cause unreasonable disturbance to the neighborhood through odors, noise or behaviour. 6-1.601

In the agricultural zones, a structure housing bees must be at least 50 ft from any residential land use district or from a main building on an adjacent lot.

Hive limit: Not confirmed — see the code

Note: Read from the A-20 Intensive Agricultural zone in 2026. Two points the bare 50 ft figure lost: it is a zoning rule rather than a citywide setback, and it is measured to a residential land use DISTRICT as well as to a main building on an adjacent lot, so the district boundary is often the binding distance. The record also cites §§ 17.410.004 and 17.430.004, which appear to carry the same sentence in the neighbouring agricultural zones, but only 17.420 has been read. No hive limit appears in this chapter.

• No accessory building or structure housing animals, grain-fed rodents, bees, birds or poultry shall be located nearer than fifty feet of any residential land use district or main building on an adjacent lot. 17.420.004(F)(4)
• Accessory buildings housing animals or livestock must also sit at least thirty feet from the main building, with a twenty foot rear yard and a ten foot side yard. 17.420.004(F)(1)

No beekeeping prohibition found. The wild-and-dangerous-animal section bans venomous species, and expressly EXCEPTS honey-producing bees from that definition — so it does not reach beekeeping.

Hive limit: None found in the code.

Note: A 2020 review recorded beekeeping as PROHIBITED in Clayton. Reading 6.05.020 in August 2026 shows the opposite: bees are venomous by sting and would fall under the wild-and-dangerous-animal ban, so the code writes in an express exception for honey-producing bees. Two caveats worth knowing. The section also reaches any non-domestic species kept so as to create a nuisance, which a badly managed apiary could still engage. And this is one section, not the whole code — no prohibition was found, which is not the same as beekeeping being unrestricted. California apiary registration with the county agricultural commissioner applies regardless.

• Any species of animal, which is venomous to human beings, whether by bite, sting, touch, or otherwise, except honey-producing bees. Clayton Municipal Code 6.05.020(B)(7)

Two hives on a lot under 10,000 sq ft, one more per additional 10,000, kept at least 25 ft from any property line and signed at the entrance.

Hive limit: Two hives on a parcel under 10,000 sq ft, plus one more for every additional 10,000 sq ft.

Note: Both published figures are confirmed. What the card lacked is § 6.15.030, a duty rather than a dimension: the property entrance must carry a sign naming the beekeeper with an address and phone. Note the chapter is framed as a prohibition with conditions — keeping bees is unlawful EXCEPT on these terms — so the conditions are not optional guidance.

• No more than two hives on any parcel under 10,000 square feet, and for every 10,000 square feet in excess of that, one additional hive. 6.15.020(1)
• No hive may be kept within 25 feet of any property line of the lot it sits on. 6.15.020(2)
• A sign must be affixed and maintained at the entrance to the property showing the name, address and telephone number of the owner or keeper, or a statement that they have no phone. 6.15.030

Apiaries are an allowed agricultural use in the A-1, A-2 and A-4 districts, and nowhere else. In A-1 and A-2 a structure housing bees must be at least 50 ft from the boundary of any residential land use district.

Note: Read in full in 2026 and corrected. The published 25 ft "to front line" was § 32-36.5(b), the front-yard setback for any structure in the A-1 district, not a bee rule, so it has been removed. The distance that does govern apiaries is 50 ft, and it is measured to the boundary of a residential land use DISTRICT rather than to a neighbour's property line, so on a parcel surrounded by other agricultural land it may not bind at all. Note the harder gate is zoning: apiaries are permitted only in A-1, A-2 and A-4, so a residential lot in Danville is not covered by this allowance. A-4 permits apiaries but its yards section does not repeat the 50 ft sentence, so no distance is claimed there.

• Apiaries are listed among the permitted uses in the A-1 Light Agricultural district, alongside horticulture, poultry raising, animal breeding and aviaries. § 32-37.2(a)(1) lists them for A-2 and § 32-38.2(a)(1) for A-4. 32-36.2(a)(1)
• No barns, stables, apiaries, aviaries or other buildings or structures used to house livestock, grain-fed rodents, bees, birds or poultry may be located nearer than fifty feet to the boundary line of any residential land use district. § 32-37.5(a) repeats this for A-2. 32-36.5(a)

One beehive by right on a lot of at least 5,000 sq ft with a single-family home, kept behind the house, 5 ft from any property line and 20 ft from a neighbour's dwelling, under a honeybee keeping clearance.

Hive limit: One hive by right on a lot of at least 5,000 sq ft with a single-family dwelling; up to three with the written consent of every abutting owner.

Note: Read in full in 2026. Every published figure is confirmed. Three duties were missing: the hive must be behind the house, the clearance is noticed to all abutting owners and only takes effect 14 days later, and the by-right limit of one rises to three only with those neighbours' unanimous written consent. Worth knowing that El Cerrito writes "honeybee" and "beehive" as single words and never uses "bees" or "apiary", so a search on the usual terms returns nothing here.

• A maximum of one beehive is permitted by right on a property of at least 5,000 square feet containing a single-family dwelling unit, so long as the owner holds a honeybee keeping clearance. 7.08.020(J)(1)
• Beehives must be located behind the principal structure on the property, no closer than 20 feet to dwellings on adjacent properties and no closer than 5 feet to a property line. 7.08.020(J)(2)
• Once the clearance application is complete the zoning administrator mails notice to the owners of every directly abutting property, and the clearance takes effect no fewer than 14 days after the date of that notice. 7.08.020(J)(3)
• Up to three beehives are allowed on a lot of at least 5,000 sq ft, and one beehive on a smaller lot, with the written consent of the owner of every directly abutting property. Without unanimous consent, any exception needs a conditional use permit. 7.08.020(J)(4)
• General animal-keeping rules apply: no animal may be kept that threatens public health or safety, premises must be kept sanitary and free of obnoxious odours, and selling animal-derived products as a home occupation requires a conditional use permit. 7.08.010

No local beekeeping rule. Searched the municipal code in 2026 for bees, hives, apiary, apiaries, honeybee and beekeeping with no result. State registration with the county agricultural commissioner still applies.

Note: The 2020 review recorded no local rule here and never confirmed it. In 2026 the live code was searched directly on six terms, including the compound spellings honeybee and beekeeping that hide an ordinance from an ordinary "bees" search, and none of them appears. The absence is now confirmed rather than assumed. California still requires apiary registration with the county agricultural commissioner.

A beekeeping permit is required before any hive is placed. Two hives on a typical lot, in the rear yard, at least 15 ft from a property line, with a flyway barrier within 100 ft of a neighbour.

Hive limit: Two hives on 6,000 to 40,000 sq ft, six from 40,001 sq ft to five acres, twelve above five acres.

Note: Read in full in 2026. The 15 ft is confirmed. The published 100 ft "from buildings" was not a setback — it is the distance at which a flyway barrier becomes required, so it has been removed and the barrier duty spelled out instead. Two things the card omitted are worth planning around: the permit is noticed to every owner within 300 ft ten days ahead, and a neighbour within 300 ft who documents a serious health risk, such as a systemic sting allergy, can stop the hive from being installed at all.

• A beekeeping permit must be obtained from the planning and building department before any hive is placed. Staff notifies every property owner within 300 feet at least ten days before acting on the application, and the zoning administrator approves it if the standards below are met. 6-595(a)
• Hive limits by gross lot area: two hives on parcels of 6,000 to 40,000 sq ft, six on parcels from 40,001 sq ft to five acres, and twelve on parcels over five acres. 6-595(b)(1)
• A hive may not exceed two feet by two feet by six feet, and including any support structure may not exceed six feet in height or length. 6-595(b)(2)
• Hives must be in the rear yard and meet the setbacks that apply to the primary residence, but in no case may they be closer than 15 feet to a property line. 6-595(b)(3)
• The hive opening must be oriented away from the nearest neighbouring residence or outdoor living area such as a patio, deck or pool. 6-595(b)(4)
• Where a hive is less than 100 feet from a neighbouring residence or outdoor living area, a flyway barrier is required: at least six feet high, a solid wall, fence or dense vegetation, and at least 20 feet long, centred on and perpendicular to the shortest line between the hive and the neighbour. 6-595(b)(5)
• A convenient source of water must be available to the bees year round so they are not drawn to swimming pools, hose bibs or pet water bowls. 6-595(b)(6)
• A hive may not be installed if a neighbour with a residence or outdoor living area within 300 feet demonstrates a serious health risk before the permit decision, for example a doctor's letter stating a systemic allergic reaction to bee stings. 6-595(b)(7)
• This article applies in the single-family residential zoning districts, and where federal, state and local law overlap the more restrictive rule governs. 6-592

Apiaries are allowed in the residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural zones, registered with the county, with hive numbers tiered by lot size and a flyway barrier toward any adjacent residence.

Hive limit: Four hives on 5,000 to 10,000 sq ft, rising by lot area to six, eight, ten and forty above 200,001 sq ft. One nucleus hive is allowed for each permitted hive.

Note: Read in full in 2026 and rewritten. The old card cited § 22.04.027 and described apiaries as large-scale agriculture, which pointed readers away from what the code actually says. Martinez adopted Chapter 22.58, Small Animals, in December 2023, and its § 22.58.020 permits apiaries in the residential zones with counts tiered by lot size. Note the setback here runs to streets rather than to property lines: instead of a neighbour distance the code uses relative placement, requiring the hive to sit nearer your own house than the neighbour's, plus a flyway barrier on any line shared with an adjacent residence.

• Apiaries may be kept on parcels in the residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural zoning districts, and must be registered with the Contra Costa County Agricultural Commissioner. 22.58.020(A)
• Hive limits by gross lot area: four hives on 5,000 to 10,000 sq ft, six on 10,001 to 20,000, eight on 20,001 to 40,000, ten on 40,001 to 200,000, and forty above 200,001 sq ft. 22.58.020(B)(1)
• One nucleus hive may be kept for each full hive permitted on the lot. 22.58.020(B)(2)
• A hive may not exceed six square feet. Hives may be stacked or set on a stand so long as the total height stays under six feet. 22.58.020(B)(3)
• A flyway barrier is required between the hive and any property line shared with an adjacent residence: at least six feet high, a solid wall, fence or dense vegetation, and at least as long as the hive boxes. 22.58.020(B)(4)
• The property must carry an adequate year-round water source, meaning enough fresh water for the number of colonies and a footing the bees can land on to drink. 22.58.020(C)
• Hives go in the rear or side yard, at least 25 feet from public rights-of-way and private streets, and must sit closer to the beekeeper's own primary structure than to any primary structure on an adjacent parcel. A building housing hives must meet the accessory structure setbacks of its zone. 22.58.020(D)
• In the agricultural districts one hive per 5,000 sq ft of gross lot area is allowed, or the table figure, whichever is greater. 22.58.020(E)(1)
• Rooftop hives in the commercial and industrial districts are exempt from the 25 ft street setback. 22.58.020(E)(2)
• Exceeding the hive count or placing hives outside these locations is possible as a conditional use under Ch. 22.40, on application to the Planning Division with the required fee. 22.58.020(E)(3)

Beekeeping is accessory to a home in the DUA and institutional districts and allowed on any parcel in Rural Residential and open space. Colonies are registered with the county and the town, kept out of the front yard, 5 ft from property lines and 25 ft from streets.

Hive limit: Four colonies up to half an acre, six from half an acre to one acre, eight at one acre, forty at five acres or more. Nothing on a lot under 6,000 sq ft. One nucleus colony is allowed per permitted colony.

Note: Read in full in 2026 and corrected in four places. The published 100 ft "from buildings" was the flyway barrier trigger rather than a setback and has been removed. "Must be in backyard" has been replaced with the actual number, 5 ft from a property line for hives in boxes under six feet. The hive tiers stopped at eight and missed the 40-colony tier at five acres, and nucleus colonies were absent. The zone list was also pre-2023: Ordinance 309 split it into two regimes, and the Rural Residential and open space districts allow beekeeping on any parcel rather than only alongside a house.

• Beekeeping is allowed as accessory to an existing permitted single-family residence, duplex, triplex or fourplex. 8.92.080(A)
• Beekeeping may occur on any parcel in these districts, subject to the registration and beekeeping standards but without the accessory-to-a-residence condition. 8.92.080(A)
• Apiaries must be registered both with the Contra Costa County agricultural commissioner and with the town of Moraga planning department. 8.92.080(B)
• Colony limits by gross lot area: none on a parcel of 5,999 sq ft or less, four from 6,000 sq ft to half an acre, six above half an acre and under one acre, eight at one acre or more, and forty at five acres or larger. One nucleus colony may be kept for each permitted colony. 8.92.080(C)(1)
• Colonies go in the rear or side yard, never the front yard or the exterior side yard setback. Kept in rectangular bee boxes or similar non-permanent containers under six feet high, they must be at least 5 feet from property lines and at least 25 feet from public rights-of-way and private streets. A building or structure housing colonies must meet the accessory structure setbacks of its zone. 8.92.080(C)(2)
• Where a colony is less than 100 feet from a neighbouring residence or outdoor living area, a flyway barrier is required: at least six feet high, a solid wall, fence or dense vegetation, and at least 20 feet long, centred on and perpendicular to the shortest line between the colony and the neighbour. 8.92.080(C)(3)
• An adequate water source must be in place on the property BEFORE the bees arrive, sized to the number of colonies and with a footing the bees can land on, so they do not go looking for water next door. 8.92.080(C)(4)
• An exception to the placement standards may be applied for with a fee. Neighbours are notified at least ten days before the decision, the burden is on the applicant to show impacts are mitigated, and the zoning administrator may condition or refuse it. 8.92.090

Two hives on a single-family lot, 25 ft from every property line or else screened behind a six-foot barrier, requeened at least every three years with water on site year round.

Hive limit: Two hives on any single-family residential lot. The AL and A-4 agricultural districts set no number.

Note: Read in full in 2026. The published 25 ft is confirmed but it is an either/or rather than a floor: a hive screened behind a six-foot barrier may sit as close as 5 ft to a side property line. Two more regimes the card never mentioned: the AL agricultural district measures 50 ft to the boundary of a residential DISTRICT, and the A-4 Agriculture Preserve measures 50 ft to any property line and requires a signed hive. Oakley is also one of the few codes anywhere that writes requeening into law, at least every three years, with swarm prevention as the stated reason. Note the twenty-animal cap and the 25 ft and 50 ft distances in § 9.1.402(b)(8) apply to fowl, pigeons, small animals and grain-fed rodents, and NOT to bees.

• Hives may be kept only in the single-family or agricultural districts, never in a multi-family or mobile home district. No more than two hives on any single-family residential lot. Colonies must be in inspectable hives with movable frames and combs, kept in sound and usable condition at all times. 9.1.404(b)(14)(b)
• Hives must sit at least 25 feet from all property lines, or else be screened by a barrier, or 100 feet from any licensed large day care facility. 9.1.404(b)(14)(c)(1)
• Screening means the bees must fly over a six-foot barrier, which may be vegetative, before leaving the property. A hive placed above a barrier must still be 20 ft from the front property line, 15 ft from the rear and at least 5 ft from the side lines. 9.1.404(b)(14)(c)(2)
• Hives must be managed to keep enough living space to prevent swarming, and requeened as needed but in any case at least every three years. A water source must be on the property at all times so bees do not go to pools and hose bibs next door, and it must not be allowed to go stagnant and breed mosquitoes. Hive equipment must be stored in a sealed container or a bee-proof enclosure. 9.1.404(b)(14)(d)
• Apiaries and other structures housing bees may not be located nearer than 50 feet to the boundary line of any residential land use district. 9.1.402(f) n.2
• Apiaries are a permitted use. No hive may be kept within 50 feet of any property line of its parcel, and every hive must carry a sign near or on the boxes giving the keeper's name, address and telephone number, or stating there is no phone, lettered in black at least one inch high on a white or light background. 9.1.802(b)(1)

Orinda sets no beekeeping standards. Bees fall under "animal husbandry", which needs a use permit in the RV and RL residential districts and in Open Space, and is not permitted in the RM and RH districts.

Note: Read in full in 2026. Orinda has no bee-specific rules anywhere: no hive count, no setback, no permit tailored to bees. Everything turns on how the zoning code classifies the use. Beekeeping sits inside "animal husbandry", which needs a use permit in the RV and RL districts and in Open Space, and is simply not permitted in RM and RH. The previous card cited only the Open Space schedule, which is the one district a resident is least likely to live in. Note the definition qualifies animal husbandry as raising animals "on an agricultural or commercial basis", so whether a single backyard hive is caught by it is a question for the city, not one the code answers.

• Animal husbandry means raising animals and producing animal products on an agricultural or commercial basis. Typical uses include beekeeping, and the listed facilities include an apiary. The code notes this is separate from the accessory use of keeping large animals on residential lots. 17.2.3
• Animal husbandry is marked "U" in the land use schedule, meaning it is authorised only on approval of a use permit. 17.3.3
• Animal husbandry is marked with a dash, meaning it is not a permitted use in these districts at all. 17.3.3
• Animal husbandry is marked "U" and requires a use permit. Crop production and limited horticulture are permitted by right; animal husbandry is not. 17.11.3

Bees need a lot of at least 20,000 sq ft, allow one hive per 10,000 sq ft of lot area, and must stay 25 ft back from every property line.

Hive limit: One hive or apiary per 10,000 sq ft of lot area, on a lot of at least 20,000 sq ft, so two at the minimum lot size.

Note: Read in full in 2026. All three published figures are confirmed word for word. Worth noting the lot minimum and the ratio work together: 20,000 sq ft is the floor and buys two hives, and every further 10,000 sq ft adds one.

• Minimum lot size for keeping bees is 20,000 square feet. 6.04.060(A)(1)
• One hive or apiary is allowed for each 10,000 square feet of lot area. 6.04.060(A)(2)
• No hive or apiary may be kept or maintained within 25 feet of any property line. 6.04.060(A)(3)
• The code defines an apiary as bees and hives wherever they are kept, located or found; bees as honey-producing insects of the genus Apis at all life stages; and a hive as any receptacle or container inhabited by a live colony. 6.04.030(C), (D), (H)

Two hives per lot for noncommercial keeping, at least 50 ft from any dwelling unit and 25 ft from any property line, and only where Title 18 zoning allows bees at all.

Hive limit: Two hives per lot for noncommercial purposes.

Note: Read in full in 2026. All three published figures are confirmed. The point the card missed is that Pittsburg gates beekeeping twice: § 7.08.030 permits bees only where Title 18 zoning allows them, so meeting the distances in Chapter 7.08 is necessary but not sufficient. The 50 ft is measured to a dwelling unit, not to a property line or a lot boundary.

• Bees may not be kept anywhere in the city except where allowed under Title 18, the zoning code. Chapter 7.08 sets the standards; zoning decides whether bees are permitted on the parcel in the first place. 7.08.030
• Bees may not be kept within 50 feet of a dwelling unit or within 25 feet of any property line. 7.08.050
• No more than two hives of bees may be kept or maintained on a lot or parcel for noncommercial purposes. 7.08.080
• No animal may be kept so as to create a nuisance or disturb neighbours by noise, odour or damage to nearby property. 7.08.060
• The city health officer or an agent may inspect any premises where bees are kept to check compliance with this chapter. 7.08.090

No local beekeeping rule found in the municipal code. State registration with the county agricultural commissioner still applies.

Note: The 2020 review left this card blank with no claim attached. In 2026 the live code was searched directly and returned nothing on any bee term, so the blank is now a confirmed absence rather than a gap in the record. California still requires apiary registration with the county agricultural commissioner.

Richmond sets no hive numbers of its own. In the lower-density residential districts it adopts the Contra Costa County animal keeping regulations by reference, and animal husbandry is not permitted in the two densest residential districts.

Note: Read in full in 2026 and rewritten. The card previously cited only the Urban Agriculture standards section, which sets housekeeping rules and no numbers. The operative provision for a Richmond resident is note L3 on the residential land use table: the city adopts the CONTRA COSTA COUNTY animal keeping regulations by reference, so the county card on this site carries the hive counts and distances that apply. Animal husbandry is not permitted at all in the two densest residential districts. Note bees are reachable in this code only through the words "urban agriculture" and "animal husbandry" — the code never says hive or apiary in a residential context.

• Animal husbandry is allowed in the three lower-density residential districts under limitation L3: the Contra Costa County animal keeping regulations are incorporated by reference and apply. An administrative use permit is required to exceed the number of animals those regulations allow, by up to ten percent. No slaughtering is allowed. 15.04.201.020 n.L3
• Animal husbandry is marked "x" in the two densest residential districts, meaning it is not a permitted use there. 15.04.201.020
• Urban agriculture is defined as growing crops, plants and fruits, beekeeping, and raising animals within an urban context, which is how bees enter this code at all. 15.04.104.020
• Urban agriculture standards apply: the site must be kept orderly, equipment must be screened when not in use, mechanised farm equipment is barred in residential districts, compost must sit at least 20 ft from residential buildings where the use abuts a residence, and in residential and mixed-use districts operations run from sunrise or 7:00 a.m., whichever is earlier, to sunset or 9:00 p.m., whichever is later. 15.04.610.430
• Animal keeping is an accessory use to a residential use. Enclosures must be kept free of litter and manure so as not to breed flies or odours, animals must be contained on site, and no slaughtering is allowed anywhere in the city. 15.04.610.070
• Animal husbandry is permitted by right in the OS Open Space and Agricultural districts, subject to limitation L1 in OS-H, which expressly covers the rearing, care and use of bees. It needs an administrative use permit in Shoreline Conservation and in the second agricultural column. 15.04.206.020, 15.04.207.020

Beekeeping is allowed in the R-1 zone under the current zoning code. An unrepealed 1964 nuisance section still declares apiaries unlawful citywide.

Hive limit: No hive count or setback is set for the R-1 allowance.

Note: San Pablo’s code says two different things about bees, and the newer one wins. A nuisance section dating from 1964 declares it unlawful to keep bees anywhere in the city, but the current zoning code states plainly that beekeeping is allowed in the R-1 zone. Because the zoning provision is both later and specifically about beekeeping, that is the one to rely on for R-1 land, though it would be worth having the city confirm it in writing if you are investing in equipment. Note the one express prohibition either way: Africanized bees, named by their scientific name, along with wasps and hornets. Our earlier card showed this city as a flat prohibition, which was wrong.

• Beekeeping is allowed in the R-1 zone, but the keeping of wasps, hornets, Africanized bees (Apis mellifera scutellata) and other noxious insects is prohibited. Zoning use classes
• An unrepealed 1964 nuisance provision states that it is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to keep bees or maintain an apiary within the city. It is displaced for R-1 land by the later and more specific zoning provision. 8.04.090

Residential beekeeping as a hobby is permitted on lots of at least 6,000 sq ft in the RS, RC, HR and RE zones.

Hive limit: Two hives on a lot of at least 6,000 sq ft, plus one more for every additional 2,500 sq ft, to a maximum of ten.

Note: This card previously stated there were no municipal codes for apiaries. San Ramon adopted a full residential beekeeping ordinance in October 2025, effective 13 November 2025.

• Beekeeping for personal purposes as a hobby is permitted on residential lots of at least 6,000 square feet with access to a private yard, in the Single-Family Residential, Rural Conservation, Hillside Residential and Residential Estate zones. D4-86(A)
• Hives shall be in the rear or side yard, a minimum of 6 feet from side and rear property lines and 25 feet from the front property line, and no more than 6 feet tall measured from ground level. D4-86(C)
• A hive less than 100 feet from a neighboring structure or outdoor living area, including swimming pools, requires a flyaway barrier at least 6 feet high and at least 20 feet long, centered on and perpendicular to the shortest line between the hive and the neighbor’s residence or outdoor living area. D4-86(D)
• A convenient source of water shall be available to the bees at all times during the year, so they are not encouraged to visit other water sources. D4-86(E)

Walnut Creek sets no beekeeping standards. Beekeeping is classified in the zoning code as animal husbandry, so whether you may keep bees depends on the land use table for your district.

Note: Confirmed against the live code in 2026. There are no bee-specific rules here: no hive count, no setback, no permit written for bees. Beekeeping appears only as a listed example of animal husbandry in the zoning use classifications, which means the real question is what your district's land use table says about animal husbandry, and that table has not been read for this card. Note the definition qualifies animal husbandry as raising animals "on an agricultural or commercial basis", so whether a single backyard hive is caught by it is a question for the city. Ask planning before assuming either way.

• Animal husbandry means raising animals or producing animal products such as eggs or dairy on an agricultural or commercial basis. Typical uses listed include beekeeping. Slaughterhouses are excluded. Ch. 2, Part 1, (D)(1)