Bloomington, IL Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Section 44-1005 of the Bloomington Zoning Code, part of Chapter 44, regulates keeping honey bee colonies anywhere in the City. Every hive must be registered with the Illinois Department of Agriculture as state law requires, and colonies must be kept in movable-frame hives in the side or rear yard, set back at least 10 feet from every property line. Beekeepers must use adequate techniques, such as requeening, and give bees enough space in the hive to prevent unprovoked stinging within 10 feet of the hive.

The number of hives allowed depends on lot size. A lot under one acre is permitted, by right, up to two hives. A lot of one acre or more is permitted two hives by right, plus one additional hive as a conditional use for every half acre beyond the first acre, which means larger lots can add hives but only through the conditional-use process rather than automatically. The section also treats any colony maintained out of compliance, or any nest of stinging insects such as yellow jackets, hornets, or wasps found in a tree, building, or underground, as a public nuisance, though a wild, uncultivated bee nest is not itself a violation unless it is positioned to threaten people on a public street, sidewalk, park, or other place open to the public, including a privately owned shopping center. Keeping a colony that creates a public nuisance, regardless of hive count or setback compliance, independently violates Section 44-1005's core duty-of-care requirement.