Ventura County Beekeeping Regulations

Backyard beekeeping is allowed on lots of at least 10,000 square feet, up to four hives depending on lot size, behind a six foot flyaway barrier, and only after completing a beekeeping course approved by the Agricultural Commissioner. Larger or commercial apiaries are confined to the OS, AE, RA and TP zones with 400 foot, 50 foot and 150 foot separations. The coastal zone was not part of the 2022 rewrite and still runs an older rule with no backyard provision.

Hive limit: Backyard beekeeping is capped by lot size: two hives on 10,000 sq ft, three on 20,000 sq ft, four on an acre. One extra hive may be brought on for up to 30 days for swarm prevention. No apiary at all on a lot under 10,000 sq ft.

Note: Unincorporated Ventura County has the most thorough beekeeping rules we have found in California, and if you want a few hives in your garden the good news is that they are written with you in mind. There is a whole backyard beekeeping section. Your lot has to be at least 10,000 square feet, and the number of hives goes up with the land: two hives on 10,000 square feet, three on 20,000, four on an acre. Hives are never allowed in the front yard. On the smallest qualifying lot the setbacks are modest, ten feet from an interior side line and from the rear, twenty feet from a street side line or a right of way, and they grow as you add hives. There is also a 150 foot separation from what the code calls a sensitive site, rising to 450 feet at four hives, so check what counts as one near you. The barrier rule is the one to plan around. You need a solid wall, a fence or dense planting on the entrance side of the hive, between six and seven feet tall, within five feet of the hive and extending two feet past it on both sides, so the bees are pushed up over head height before they leave. A hedge works if it is already six feet tall when the bees arrive. Your boundary fence does not count, and the code says so expressly. If a barrier does not suit your garden, the alternatives are to keep hives 100 feet from any neighbouring house or to put them on a stand at least eight feet up, though anything over seven feet tall needs a zoning clearance. Two duties catch people out. You must register with the Agricultural Commissioner every January, and you must complete a beekeeping course approved by that office BEFORE you put an apiary on the property, so start with the course rather than the bees. After that the ongoing duties are what a good beekeeper does anyway: keep forage available and feed when nectar is short, re-queen after any swarm or if the colony turns aggressive, inspect at least monthly, give the colony room so it does not swarm, keep water within two feet of the hive with somewhere for the bees to land so they do not drown, label each hive with your name and phone number, keep a shovel and a hose or extinguisher on site, and use a smoker with a secure lid and a fire-resistant plug. If you are running something larger than a backyard apiary, that is a different section and a different world: only the OS, AE, RA and TP zones, and 400 feet from any off-site dwelling, 50 feet from a shared property line and 150 feet from a public road, although the Commissioner can waive those in writing and the 50 foot rule falls away if your neighbour also keeps bees or simply agrees. One important warning about sources. The county Agricultural Commissioner publishes a PDF called State and County Apiary Ordinances, and the version currently on their website is the old pre-2022 ordinance. It shows only the 400, 50 and 150 foot distances and none of the backyard rules, the hive limits, the barrier, or the required course. If you have that document, it will tell you both that backyard beekeeping is impossible and that you have almost no obligations, and it is wrong on both counts. Work from the ordinance code itself, and if in doubt ring the Commissioner and ask about Ordinance 4606. There is one more twist, and it explains some of the confusion. The 2022 rewrite changed the inland zoning code but left the coastal zoning code alone, so if your land is in the coastal zone the rule is still the older one at § 8175-5.2.1: 400 feet from a neighbouring dwelling, 50 feet from a shared property line, 150 feet from a public road, water on the property, and no backyard beekeeping provision at all. Same county, two different answers, and the one that applies to you depends on which side of the coastal zone boundary you are on. Establish that first, because it changes everything else on this card.

• Every owner or possessor of an apiary in the unincorporated county must register the number of colonies and the location of each apiary with the Agricultural Commissioner on 1 January each year or within 30 days thereafter. 8107-2.6(b)
• Exempt: bees kept within an educational institution for study or observation, or within a physician office or laboratory for medical research or other scientific purposes. Exempt keepers must still register annually. One additional beehive beyond the permitted maximum may be brought onto a property for up to 30 consecutive days for swarm prevention. 8107-2.6(c)
• Beekeeping is prohibited in mobile home and recreational vehicle parks, all commercial and industrial zones, and the R2, RHD and R/MU zones, and in the RES zone where the property has two-family or multifamily dwellings. No person may own or operate an apiary with Africanized honeybees or bees showing aggressive behaviour, containing apiary pests, or abandoned, as determined by the Agricultural Commissioner. Africanized honeybees are considered inherently dangerous animals. Hives may not sit on a roof unless it is a permitted roof-top deck. 8107-2.6(d)
• No apiary may be kept on a lot of less than 10,000 square feet gross area. Backyard beekeeping is limited to a maximum of four beehives. 8107-2.6.2(b)
• Two hives require a 10,000 sq ft lot, with setbacks of 10 ft from an interior side line, 20 ft from a street side line, 10 ft from the rear line, 20 ft from a public right-of-way or easement and 150 ft from a beekeeping sensitive site. Three hives require 20,000 sq ft with 20 / 50 / 20 / 50 / 300 ft. Four hives require one acre with 50 / 100 / 50 / 100 / 450 ft. Hives are not allowed in the front yard at any lot size. 8107-2.6.2(d)
• Hive entrances must face away from, or parallel to, the nearest lot line adjacent to another property, and must face away from doors and windows. 8107-2.6.2(c)(1)
• A beekeeping flyaway barrier of solid wall, fence or dense vegetation must run along the entrance side of the hive so bees are forced to at least six feet above ground to come and go. A wall or fence barrier must be 6 to 7 feet tall, no more than 5 feet from the hive, and must extend at least 2 feet either side. Dense vegetation must already be 6 feet tall when the hives arrive. Property line fences do not count as flyaway barriers. 8107-2.6.2(c)(2)
• In place of a flyaway barrier, hives may be kept at least 100 feet from any off-site dwelling, or on a structure at least 8 feet above ground level. A Zoning Clearance is required for any structure over 7 feet tall built to house hives. 8107-2.6.2(c)(2)
• Beekeepers must complete a beekeeping education course approved by the Agricultural Commissioner Office before establishing an apiary, and must produce the current registration and evidence of completion on request. 8107-2.6.2(e)
• Adequate and accessible forage must be available, with supplemental feeding where needed to prevent starvation during times of reduced nectar production. Hives must be re-queened following any swarming or aggressive bee behaviour. 8107-2.6.2(f)(3)-(4)
• Fresh water must be available at all times including before a hive arrives, within two feet of the hive if the property has no natural water, and must provide landing sites so bees can drink without drowning or overcrowding. Each hive must be inspected at least monthly for aggressive behaviour and apiary pests, and the beekeeper must practise swarm prevention and give the colony additional space to minimise swarming. 8107-2.6.2(f)(6)-(7)
• Identification and contact details, including the beekeeper name and phone number, must be posted prominently on each hive. A shovel and an operable water hose or fire extinguisher must be kept on the property. Bee smokers must have a noncombustible container with a secure lid and a fire-resistant smoker plug to stop embers escaping. 8107-2.6.2(f)(8)-(10)
• Non-backyard beekeeping is allowed only in the OS, AE, RA and TP zones, must be a safe distance from any urbanized area of three or more dwelling units per acre as determined by the Agricultural Commissioner, and unless authorised in writing by the Commissioner no occupied apiary may be within 400 feet of any off-site dwelling, 50 feet of a property line common to other property, or 150 feet of a public road. The 50 foot rule does not apply where the adjoining property also contains an apiary or where the adjoining owner agrees. 8107-2.6.1(a)-(c)
• Adequate available and suitable water supplies must be maintained on the property near the apiary at all times. 8107-2.6.1(d)
• The coastal zoning code keeps its own older apiculture rule, which the 2022 rewrite did not touch. No occupied apiary within 150 feet of a public road, street or highway unless modified by the Agricultural Commissioner, within 400 feet of any dwelling on adjacent property, or within 50 feet of a property line common to other property except where that property also contains an apiary or the adjoining owner agrees. An apiary must be a safe distance from an urbanized area, defined here as at least 30 acres with at least 90 dwelling units, rising proportionately by at least three dwelling units per acre. Adequate water must be kept near the apiaries at all times. There is no backyard beekeeping provision, no hive limit and no education requirement in the coastal zone. 8175-5.2.1
• A colony showing aggressive behaviour and found by the Agricultural Commissioner to be a public nuisance must be abated and removed. Neglected or abandoned colonies, and colonies not kept to these standards, are a public nuisance. Violations may bring a Notice of Violation, civil administrative penalties, or misdemeanour or infraction prosecution. 8107-2.6(e)-(f)

An apiary is a permitted use in the A-E agricultural exclusive zone. The code defines an apiary as the hives themselves and expressly excludes honey houses and extraction houses.

Hive limit: No hive count is set. The definition counts colonies within hives or boxes rather than capping them.

Note: Camarillo permits apiaries in its A-E agricultural exclusive zone without a hive count or a permit requirement, so if your land is zoned A-E the beekeeping itself is straightforward. The detail worth catching is in the definition. The code says an apiary means the hives or boxes occupied by bees, and expressly says it may not be read to include honey houses or extraction houses. That is a useful distinction to understand before you scale up: your right to keep the bees does not carry with it a right to put up a building to extract in. If your plans involve a honey house, treat it as a separate planning question and ask the city about it specifically rather than assuming it comes along with the apiary. If your parcel is not zoned A-E, this provision does not apply to you and you will need to ask what does, since we found no other zone permitting apiaries in the code.

• An apiary is a permitted use. For the purposes of the zoning title an apiary includes one or more hives or boxes occupied by bees, hives or boxes including colonies, and may not be interpreted to include honey houses or extraction houses. 19.10.020

The code defines apiaries but sets no standards for keeping them.

Apiculture is permitted but heavily separated: 150 feet from any public road, 50 feet from a common property line, and a 400 foot separation whose wording conflicts with the 50 foot rule.

Hive limit: No hive count is set. The separations are what govern.

Note: Moorpark permits beekeeping and then separates it very hard: 150 feet from any public road, and 50 feet from a property line you share with someone else, which a neighbour can waive or which falls away if they keep bees too. There is a drafting problem you should raise with the city rather than guess at. The subsection headed "Dwelling Separation" says no hive within 400 feet of any PROPERTY LINE, which contradicts the 50 foot property line rule two paragraphs later and, read literally, would rule out every ordinary parcel in the city. It looks as though the word "dwelling" went missing when the code was compiled. We have recorded the text as written rather than assume, so ask community development which reading they apply before you plan anything.

• "Apiculture" means beekeeping, which includes one or more hives or boxes occupied by bees, hives or boxes including colonies, but does not include honey houses, extraction houses, warehouses or appliances. Definitions
• No beehive or box may be located or maintained within 150 feet of any public road, street or highway, or as determined by the community development director. Apiculture (a)
• The subsection headed "Dwelling Separation" states that no beehive or box shall be located or maintained within 400 feet of any property line. Apiculture (c)
• No apiary may be located or maintained within 50 feet of any property line common to other property, except where that other property also contains an apiary or the adjoining owner agrees to a closer location. Apiculture (d)
• Animal containment areas must be at least 40 feet from any structure used for human habitation other than the owner’s residence, expressly excepting apiculture, pet animals, and cats and dogs. Animal containment

Beekeeping is permissible in every zoning district and on all property types, at one hive per 5,000 square feet, five feet from property lines, with county registration and written notice to neighbours within 100 feet.

Hive limit: One hive under 5,000 sq ft, two from 5,000 to under 10,000 sq ft, and one more per additional 5,000 sq ft above 10,000.

Note: Ojai is the most workable beekeeping ordinance we have read anywhere in California. Bees are permissible in every zoning district and on every property type, which removes at a stroke the zoning gauntlet most cities put in the way. Hive numbers scale with your lot rather than sitting at a flat cap: one under 5,000 square feet, two up to 10,000, then one more for every additional 5,000. Keep hives five feet off the property line and 20 feet from the street, turn the entrances inward, provide water, use movable frames, and register each colony with the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner. The one step people forget is § 4-25.05: before installing a new hive you must write to every property owner within 100 feet. Note too that Ojai actually defines aggressive behaviour in feet and bee counts rather than leaving it to whoever complains, which protects a careful beekeeper as much as it protects the neighbours.

• The city intends that all beekeeping in Ojai be conducted in compliance with the state regulations governing bee management and honey production in Division 13 of the California Food and Agriculture Code, section 29000 and following. 4-25.01
• Notwithstanding any other provision of the municipal code, beekeeping is permissible in all zoning districts and on all property types, subject to the restrictions of this chapter. 4-25.04
• Each colony must be kept in movable-frame hives, and a water source with an adequate supply must be provided for the bees at all times. 4-25.04(a)-(b)
• Adequate space must be maintained in the hive to prevent overcrowding and swarming or aggressive behaviour. Aggressive bee behaviour means more than one bee repeatedly striking, but not necessarily stinging, any person or domestic animal at a distance of 15 feet or more from the front of the hive entrance, or five feet or more from the side or rear of the hive. 4-25.04(c)
• Each colony must be registered with the County Agricultural Commissioner and kept in compliance with Division 13 of the Food and Agriculture Code. Those regulations are enforced by the County Agricultural Commissioner. 4-25.04(d)
• No more than one hive on lots under 5,000 square feet; no more than two on lots of at least 5,000 but less than 10,000 square feet; and on larger lots one further hive for each additional 5,000 square feet. 4-25.04(a)-(c) hive counts
• Hives must not be placed within 20 feet of any public street, sidewalk or other public thoroughfare, nor within five feet of a property line. Hive entrances must be directed away from the nearest property line where the entrance is closer than 20 feet to it. 4-25.04(d)-(f)
• Before any new hive is installed, a prospective beekeeper must notify in writing all property owners within a 100 foot radius of the hive’s intended location. 4-25.05

No person shall maintain or cause or permit to be maintained any bees in or upon any premises in the city; except, that bees necessary for agricultural purposes may be maintained by special use permit.

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.

See municipal code for further regulations.

Bee keeping. Beehives shall be permitted in the RVL, RE and OS Zones on lots of three acres or more without requirement of the overlay zone designation.

• Each colony shall be registered with the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner and kept in compliance with all State regulations governing bee management and honey production as provided in Division 13 of the California Food and Agriculture Code, Section 29000, et seq. 9-44.060
• Hives shall be screened by a minimum 6-foot high solid fence or shrubbery. 9-44.060
• A water source with adequate supply of water must be provided for the bees at all times on the property where the bees are kept to discourage bee visitation at water sources on adjacent or surrounding properties. f. 9-44.060
• Adequate space shall be maintained in the hive to prevent over-crowding and swarming or aggressive behavior. 9-44.060

See municipal code for further regulations.

Keeping bees on any premises in the city is prohibited, with the only exception being bees kept within a school or laboratory for educational or scientific purposes. The zoning code separately defines Apiculture as a commercial agricultural use type, which the code does not reconcile with the prohibition.

Hive limit: No hive count applies. Keeping bees is prohibited outright rather than limited.

Note: Ventura does not allow beekeeping. The animals chapter says plainly that no person may have, keep or maintain any bees on any premises, and the only exception is bees kept inside a school or laboratory for educational or scientific purposes. There is no permit to apply for, no hive count that would make it lawful, and the enforcement provisions are firm: a violation is a misdemeanour, is treated as a nuisance in itself, and you can be made to pay the city investigation and abatement costs. Two things are worth knowing beyond that. The first is a genuine unresolved question rather than a loophole. The zoning code separately defines Apiculture as an agricultural use type, meaning the commercial raising of bees for honey or for pollinating crops, and the animals chapter and the zoning article expressly cross-reference each other. So a commercial apiary on agricultural land is a case the code points at from both directions without saying which wins. If that describes you, put the question to the city in writing rather than relying on either provision alone. For anyone wanting a few hives at home, it does not help: the prohibition is written to cover any premises. The second point is practical. The city is officially called San Buenaventura and publishes its municipal code under that name, so searching for "Ventura" turns up the county code and misses the city entirely. That matters here, because the county does have real beekeeping standards and they do not apply to you: the city adopts the county animal ordinance only where it does not conflict, and on bees it plainly conflicts.

• No person shall have, keep, maintain, or have in their possession or under their control any bees in or upon any premises, except when kept within a school or laboratory for educational or scientific purposes. 8.50.050
• The zoning code defines an Apiculture use type as the raising of bees for the purposes of honey extraction or for pollination in conjunction with agricultural or horticultural purposes. Agricultural use types are defined at § 24.115.410 as commercial activities. 24.115.430
• Chapter 4 of Division 4 of the Ventura County Ordinance Code is adopted by reference, but only to the extent it does not conflict with the city code. Where the provisions conflict, the city code applies, so the county beekeeping standards do not govern inside the city. 8.50.010
• Every violation of the chapter is a misdemeanour, is deemed a public nuisance and a nuisance per se subject to injunctive relief, and each violation is a separate offence. Violators are liable for abatement and investigation costs and the city attorney fees. 8.50.070