Clackamas County has no dedicated beekeeping ordinance. On rural farm- and forest-zoned land, beekeeping is a protected farm practice under Oregon's Right to Farm law. In urban and residential zones, hives are governed by the county ZDO; the city governs inside incorporated limits.
There is no bee-specific chapter in Clackamas County Code, and Oregon does not license hobby beekeepers. On land zoned for farm use (EFU) or forest use, beekeeping qualifies as a 'farm use'/farming practice protected from nuisance and trespass claims by ORS 30.930-30.947 (Right to Farm), which bars local ordinances from declaring an accepted farm practice a nuisance. In the county's rural residential and urban zones, placement of hives is treated under the Zoning & Development Ordinance's accessory/farm-use provisions; residents should confirm allowed use with Planning & Zoning (503-742-4500). Inside cities (Oregon City, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Happy Valley) the municipal code sets hive limits and setbacks.
A hive kept as part of an accepted farm practice on farm/forest land cannot be declared a nuisance by local ordinance under ORS 30.935. Elsewhere, hives that create a documented nuisance or violate a zone's allowed uses are handled through
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting of yard debris and food scraps is allowed and encouraged in Clackamas County; no permit is needed for a home compost pile. Commercial-sca...
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Clackamas County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating artificial turf in residential yards. Standard land-use rules on lot coverage, drainage,...
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Clackamas County does not mandate native-plant landscaping for private yards, but strongly encourages it and requires native-vegetation retention in protecte...
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Rooftop rainwater harvesting is legal in Oregon and does not need a water right. Clackamas County adds no ban. Collecting rain from an artificial impervious ...
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Clackamas County government sets no countywide outdoor-watering ban. Watering rules come from your local water provider (such as Clackamas River Water or Sun...
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Oregon law (ORS 569) declares noxious weeds a public nuisance to be controlled on all lands. Clackamas County runs the WeedWise program (since 2009) through ...
See how Clackamas County's beekeeping rules stack up against other locations.
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