Beekeeping in Solana Beach, California
Apiaries are not allowed in any residential zone. The non-residential zones have not been checked.
What Solana Beach itself requires
Hive limit: Not applicable in the residential zones, where apiaries are not allowed.
Note: Solana Beach does not allow apiaries in any of its residential zones, and the code says so in words rather than leaving it to a mark in a column, so there is no ambiguity about it for a home garden. What we have not been able to check is the rest of the city: this rule comes from the residential zones chapter, and we have not yet read whether the commercial, light commercial or open space zones say anything different. If you own or have access to land outside a residential zone it is worth asking the city directly rather than assuming the answer is the same. State law still requires you to register any hives with the San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner, wherever they sit, and the San Diego County card is worth reading alongside this one.
- The residential zones animal regulations table lists apiaries as not allowed in any residential zone (ER, LR, LMR, MR, MHR or HR). Table 17.20.040-A(h)
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 Coronado El Cajon Encinitas Escondido Lemon Grove Poway San Diego City Santee Vista