Beekeeping in Carlsbad, California

Hive limit: No hive count is set anywhere in the chapter. The binding number is the 150 foot separation from other people’s dwellings, and unlike most setbacks of its kind that one can be waived in writing by the neighbour it protects.

Note: Carlsbad has a real beekeeping chapter and the number that decides most cases is 150 feet: no apiary may sit closer than that to the nearest house or building someone lives in, not counting buildings you own or control yourself. On an ordinary suburban lot that cannot be met, so read the next sentence carefully, because it is the one that matters. The setback can be waived. If the occupant of that dwelling gives you written permission, the distance requirement is satisfied. The permission is revocable at any time by written notice, so it is worth having on good terms as well as on paper. That waiver is unusual and it is what separates Carlsbad from Vista next door, whose almost identical 1963 chapter sets 600 feet and writes in no exception at all. The rest is straightforward. If you keep bees anywhere other than your own home, the apiary needs a sign on the entrance side, on the longer side of the hive or super, in black letters at least an inch high on a contrasting background, giving your name, address and telephone number, or the words "No Phone" if you have none. You need the landowner’s permission before placing hives on land that is not yours. Hives moved in daylight must have the bees screened into the vehicle. One provision is worth knowing is unenforceable as written: § 7.12.050 says an apiary must not be kept at a distance from a public road "which distance would constitute a nuisance", which sets no distance you could actually comply with in advance. Enforcement runs through county law enforcement, and you get written notice before any penalty. Separately from all of this, state law requires you to register your apiary with the San Diego County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures.

• No apiary may be kept closer than 150 feet to the nearest house or building inhabited as a dwelling, except buildings owned or controlled by the apiary owner. The distance requirement does not apply if the beekeeper first obtains written permission from the occupant or person using that dwelling. Such permission is revocable at any time by written notice served on the beekeeper. 7.12.060
• An apiary may not be kept on the lands of another without first obtaining permission from the owner or the person entitled to possession of the land. 7.12.070
• No apiary may be kept at a distance from a public road which would constitute a nuisance. The section states no distance, so it cannot be complied with in advance by measurement. 7.12.050
• Every person maintaining an apiary on premises other than that of their residence must affix a sign showing the owner’s name, address and telephone number, or the words "No Phone" if they have none. The sign goes on the longer side of the hive or the longer side of the super, prominently located on the entrance side of the apiary, and must be maintained at all times. Lettering is black, printed or stencilled in black paint or ink, at least one inch high on white or another contrasting colour. 7.12.020—7.12.040
• Hives of bees transported during daylight hours must have the bees confined to the vehicle by screens or other means. 7.12.080
• Any county law enforcement officer may serve written notice of a violation, personally, by mail, or by posting the notice for five days in a conspicuous place on the apiary. A person who has been served and refuses to comply is guilty of a misdemeanour. 7.12.090—7.12.100
• "Apiary" includes bees, one or more hives of bees and appliances, wherever kept, located or found. "Hives" means any object or container made or prepared for the use of bees, or taken possession of by bees. "Location" means the lands upon which an apiary is located or found. 7.12.010