York County, SC Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Status
- Agriculture by statute
- Statute
- S.C. Code 46-45-20
- Registration
- Voluntary via Clemson
- County Permit
- None required
Summary
Beekeeping is legal across York County and protected as agriculture by state law. S.C. Code Section 46-45-20 counts honeybees and honeybee products among agricultural facilities. Colony registration with Clemson's apiary program is voluntary.
'agricultural facility' includes, but is not limited to, any land, building, structure, pond, impoundment appurtenance, machinery, or equipment which is used for the commercial production or processing of crops, trees, livestock, animals, poultry, honeybees, honeybee products, livestock products, poultry products, or products which are used in commercial aquaculture.
Full Breakdown
Keeping honeybees is lawful throughout unincorporated York County, and South Carolina's Right to Farm chapter treats it as agriculture: S.C. Code Section 46-45-20 defines an agricultural facility to include equipment used for the commercial production or processing of honeybees and honeybee products, and lists honeybee keeping as an agricultural operation. The state's apiary inspection and registration program is run by Clemson University's Department of Plant Industry, which inspects for diseases and pests like the varroa mite and small hive beetle; registration is encouraged but not mandated by statute. York County does not permit hives separately, though Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay, Clover, and York may add hive-placement setbacks in residential zones by ordinance.
Violations & Fines
The state imposes no registration penalty, since apiary registration through Clemson is voluntary. A city can enforce hive-setback rules its ordinance adopts. Bees kept so as to create a genuine nuisance can be abated in civil court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to keep bees?
Who inspects the hives?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in York County
Compare York County to another location·View the South Carolina animal ordinances overview
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