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Glenn County, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Registration fee
$10.00 per apiary, due January 1
Dwelling setback
300 feet from a neighbor's house
Road setback
100 feet from public right-of-way
Water requirement
Natural source within 1 mile or 50 yards
Africanized bees
Prohibited under § 7.30.120

Summary

Glenn County Code Chapter 7.30, the Beekeeping and Apiaries Ordinance, requires every apiary in the county to register annually with the Agricultural Commissioner for $10 and keeps hives at least 300 feet from a neighbor's dwelling and 100 feet from a public road right-of-way unless the Commissioner approves an exception.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Glenn County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

No person shall place or keep any apiary or cause or allow any apiary to remain closer than three hundred (300) feet to any house or building used as a dwelling other than a house or building owned or possessed by that person. ... No person shall place or keep any apiary or cause or allow an apiary to remain closer than one hundred (100) feet from the exterior line of the traveled portion of a public road right of way without the prior approval of the Commissioner except for temporary purposes of transporting the same or pollination of a agricultural crop (pollinating apiaries are no longer exempt (30) days after crop bloom is complete).

Full Breakdown

00 registration fee covering the location of each apiary and its number of colonies; apiaries newly brought into the county register within 30 days of arrival. 080 sets the core siting standard: no apiary may sit closer than 300 feet to a dwelling other than the beekeeper's own, though that limit does not apply if the residential use came after the apiary was already operating year-round (absent a Commissioner finding of danger), if adequate flight-dispersing barriers such as a fence or tree line are maintained, or if the affected resident gives written permission waiving the distance.

The same section bars keeping an apiary within 100 feet of the traveled portion of a public road right-of-way without the Commissioner's prior approval, except for temporary transport or crop pollination, and pollinating apiaries lose that exemption 30 days after crop bloom ends. 090 requires either a natural water source within one mile or fresh water the beekeeper maintains within 50 yards of the hive. 060 requires written landowner permission before placing an apiary on another person's land. 120, adopted by Ordinance 1201 in 2008, bars knowingly keeping Africanized honey bees.

Violations & Fines

Interfering with the Agricultural Commissioner's enforcement under Section 7.30.040, and violating any siting, registration, water, signage, or Africanized-bee provision of Chapter 7.30, is a violation of the ordinance. The Commissioner has right of entry under Section 7.30.030 to inspect any premises believed to hold bees and may seek a warrant if entry is refused.

Frequently Asked Questions

How close can I keep a beehive to my neighbor's house in unincorporated Glenn County?
Section 7.30.080 sets a 300-foot minimum from any dwelling other than your own, unless your apiary predates the neighboring home, you maintain barriers like a fence or tree line that the Agricultural Commissioner finds adequate, or the neighbor gives written permission waiving the distance.
Do I have to register my beehives with the county?
Yes. Section 7.30.070 requires every apiary in Glenn County to register with the Agricultural Commissioner by January 1 each year, or within 30 days of acquiring or bringing bees into the county, and pay a $10.00 fee covering each location and its colony count.
Can I keep bees near a county road?
Not within 100 feet of the traveled right-of-way without the Agricultural Commissioner's prior approval, per Section 7.30.080, except temporarily for transporting bees or pollinating an agricultural crop, and even pollinating apiaries lose that exception 30 days after the crop finishes blooming.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Glenn County

All Glenn County rules

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