Beekeeping in Coronado, California
Beekeeping is prohibited. The code makes keeping any bees, hive or apiary within the city unlawful and a nuisance.
What Coronado itself requires
Hive limit: Beekeeping is prohibited outright.
Note: Read against the current Coronado Municipal Code in August 2026. The prohibition is unconditional on its face — subsection (B) names bees, hives and apiaries specifically, alongside a separate livestock ban in (A). Confirm at the source before acting.
- It is unlawful and a nuisance for any person to keep, or cause to be kept, or to permit or suffer to be kept, or to maintain or control any bees, or hive of or for bees, or any apiary within the limits of this City. CMC 32.20.020(B)
What San Diego County adds
Beekeeping is allowed in the unincorporated county under a three-tier scheme sized by colony count, with setbacks, a signed best-practices checklist at registration and a monthly hive check. Registration applies everywhere in the county, including inside cities.
Read this carefully: a county beekeeping ordinance very often applies only to the unincorporated parts of the county, with registration as the exception that reaches inside city limits. Where that is true, the county setbacks, barriers and firebreak rules are not yours to follow and the city code above is what governs you. Check which parts reach you before assuming either way.
The full San Diego County ordinance, section by section, and every other city ›
California requires registration, wherever you keep bees
Every apiary owner in California must register their hives with the county agricultural commissioner, hobbyist and commercial alike. It is state law, so almost no city code mentions it, and reading only your local ordinance will not tell you it exists.
Other cities in San Diego County
Carlsbad Chula Vista El Cajon Encinitas Escondido Lemon Grove Poway San Diego City Santee Solana Beach Vista