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Apiaries must be located at or greater than the following distances from the property line of the adjacent neighbor(s) as:
(a) Tier A: Twenty-five (25) feet.
(b) Tier B: Fifty (50) feet.
If the property line extends into a thoroughfare or road, the distance will be measured from the nearest edge of the road, as defined by this chapter.
The Commissioner may allow the placement of apiaries closer than the distance requirements from the property line if the Commissioner finds that the location is on an open-space-adjacent property that would not endanger public health or safety or create a nuisance.
Apiaries must be located at or greater than the following distances from a sensitive site:
(a) Tier A: One-hundred-fifty (150) feet.
(b) Tier B: One-hundred-fifty (150) feet, if between three (3) and ten (10) colonies.
(c) Tier B: Three hundred (300) feet if between eleven (11) and twenty (20) colonies.
(d) Tier C: Four-hundred-fifty (450) feet.
The distance will be measured from the nearest edge of the property line of the sensitive site.
Beekeepers shall inspect each colony at least once a month to detect undesirable honey bee behavior and/or apiary pests in order to take corrective action(s) in a timely manner. Beekeepers shall practice swarm prevention techniques and provide additional space for colony growth to minimize honey bee swarming. Tier A may maintain up to five (5) colonies for up to thirty (30) calendar days for swarm prevention.
Beekeepers shall maintain an adequate and accessible supply of fresh water available at all times, including prior to introduction to a new location. If the property on which the apiary is located does not contain sufficient natural water, the beekeeper shall provide one or more water containers or water sources. The water supply shall provide landing sites for the honey bees to drink without drowning, undue competition, or over-crowding. The water supply shall be of acceptable quality and must be utilized by the bees. If honey bees are congregating at water sources on properties other than where the apiary is located, then the bee behavior must be corrected by relocation of hives or another method which stops the undesirable behavior. It is unlawful for a beekeeper to allow a water source to become stagnant or a mosquito breeding site.
Beekeepers shall maintain apiaries with a fire break that meets the following specifications:
(a) The area within ten feet (10') surrounding apiaries shall be cleared to bare earth and free from all other combustible material. This shall be the only firebreak required for five (5) colonies or less in residential areas.
(b) The area beginning from ten feet (10') surrounding apiaries out to thirty feet (30') surrounding apiaries shall have all combustible vegetation maintained to a height of six inches (6") above the ground or less.
(c) Vegetation along the route being traveled by motor vehicles to any apiary location shall have all combustible vegetation maintained to a height of six inches (6") above the ground or less.
(d) Subsections (a) and (b) shall not be construed to require the owner or operator to remove live trees, unless the fire official having jurisdiction requires trees to be removed to eliminate a fire hazard.
Beekeepers shall keep and maintain the following fire-fighting equipment, in good working condition, located at the apiary or in any motor vehicle used for apiary maintenance, so as to be immediately available in case of fire:
(a) A shovel;
(b) A fire extinguisher or backpack type firefighting pump; or
(c) An operable water supply such as a charged garden hose with a nozzle that is extended to the apiary site.
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