Beekeeping is the keeping and maintenance of honey-producing bees in hives and the collection of honey and other products created by the hive such as beeswax, propolis or royal jelly. Beekeeping shall be subject to the following use-specific standards:
(A) The owner, operator, or tenant shall obtain a beekeeping permit from the Building and Neighborhood Services Department. Cost of said one-time setup permit shall be $30. Tenants must provide written permission from their landlord in order to obtain a permit.
(B) No property shall have more than four hive on any lot size of two acres or less. A maximum of two extra hives may be provided on a temporary basis of no more than 60 days for the purposes of rescuing a swarm or to accommodate the division of a bee colony into multiple colonies. For over two acre lots, there is no limit on the number of hives. Commercial honey operations are prohibited on residentially zoned property. Commercial honey operations are those exceeding 15 or more hives.
(C) Ground-level beehives shall be elevated at least five inches off the ground.
(D) A minimum six-foot high solid flight barrier on the side of the hive entrance and away from foot traffic shall be installed not less than three feet from the hive entrance to be a flight inhibitor.
(E) All hives must be a minimum of 20 feet from any property line and any public sidewalk and flight path barriers shall be installed as required in division (D) above.
(F) Hives are not permitted in the required front setback (in a front yard). That is, hives are only permitted in the side or backyard and areas not fronting a street.
(G) A constant supply of water shall be provided for all hives.
(H) Beekeeping is not permitted in R-4 or C Districts. Other zoning regulations may also apply.
(I) In the event that a beekeeping operation is determined to be in violation of this code with regard to the above regulations, the beekeeper and/or property owner shall be given written notice of the violation and be allowed 14 days from the date of the notice to correct the violation. If the property is not brought into compliance within 14 days, the hives shall be immediately removed from the property at the owner’s expense. This includes decommissioning of aggressive colonies.
(J) Following national standards, including direction from the Iowa State Apiarist, it is recommended that the beekeeper incorporate best management practices in the beekeeping operation at all times, including but not limited to:
(1) Completion of a beekeeping educational course for which dates and locations can be obtained from the Iowa Honey Producers association website;
(2) Registering the location of their apiaries annually with Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardships’s Sensitive Crops Directory; and
(3) Practicing proper management and manipulation of colonies to remedy swarming and/or aggressive colonies in qualified beekeeping training through Iowa State Extension Service and Outreach.
(Ord. 2657, passed 10-13-2020; Ord. 2742, passed 5-28-2024)