A. Compliance With State Regulations: Hives shall be registered with the Illinois department of agriculture and actively maintained in accordance with the Illinois bees and apiaries act 1 or its successor legislation.
B. Site Plan: A site plan generally depicting the location and setbacks of hive(s) and other beekeeping improvements on a subject property with respects to structures and property lines must be provided with any application as required per subsection 6.08.015A of this chapter.
C. Hive Location: Honeybee hives may only be kept in a rear yard area.
D. Fencing Around Hives: Hives shall be enclosed completely on all sides by a four foot (4') high fence or wall. The fence or wall shall not be set back less than five feet (5') from a hive structure. One warning sign no less than one foot (1') by two (2) stating "CAUTION BEES" shall be placed on each exterior side of a fence or wall enclosure for a honeybee hive.
E. Hive Structure Required: Honeybees may only be kept on a property with a hive structure complying with the requirements of this section. Hives are deemed an accessory structure and must comply with requirements for accessory structures under title 17 of this code.
F. Hive Types And Requirements: Nucleus hives shall consist of five (5) or fewer comb frames kept for the purpose of queen and pest management. All other hives shall be defined as full hives. Hives must have removable comb frames, which shall be kept in good repair and usable condition.
G. Hive Location Requirements: Hives must be set back a minimum of twenty feet (20') from any property line or the principal dwelling unit on the subject lot and thirty feet (30') from any structure used as a dwelling unit on any abutting lot.
H. Requeening: In any instance in which a hive exhibits unusually aggressive characteristics, as verified by an Illinois apiary inspector, the property owner shall destroy or requeen the hive within fourteen (14) days of observation.
I. Sanitation And Maintenance: No person shall cause or allow a hive or yard area where honeybees are kept to become unclean or unwholesome.
J. Water Supply: A supply of water designed to allow access to bees shall be continuously available on the parcel upon which a hive is kept. This water requirement shall be in effect from April 1 to November 30 or any and all days in which the temperature exceeds fifty five degrees (55°) for three (3) consecutive days. (Ord. 2015-O-6)
Notes
| 1 | 1. 510 ILCS 20/1 et seq. |