Brookhaven, GA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Hive density
- No more than four hives per one-quarter acre
- Lot maximum
- No more than eight hives on any lot
- Property line setback
- Minimum seven feet six inches
- Location on lot
- Side or rear yard if a principal building exists
- Nuisance colony
- Beekeeper re-queens the hive at own expense
Summary
In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 5-32(c) allows beekeeping with no more than four hives per one-quarter acre and no more than eight hives on any lot. Hives must sit at least seven feet six inches from every property line and in the side or rear yard when a principal building exists.
Domestic fowl, bees, and potbellied pigs may be kept within the city subject to the following regulations: ... (c)Bees.(1)No more than four hives are allowed per one-quarter acre (as measured by the plat on file with the Superior Court of DeKalb County with any fractional amount rounded down to the nearest whole number), and no more than eight hives are allowed on any lot.(2)Hives must be setback from all property lines a minimum of seven feet six inches feet.(3)Hives must be located in the side or rear yard if a principal building exists.(4)Hives must be maintained responsibly with adequate space and management techniques to prevent overcrowding and swarming.(5)If a colony becomes a nuisance, the beekeeper must re-queen the hive at their own expense.
Full Breakdown
Beekeeping in the City of Brookhaven, Georgia falls under Sec. 5-32, which lists domestic fowl, bees and potbellied pigs as animals that can be kept within the city subject to stated regulations. Sec. 5-32(c) caps hives by lot size: no more than four hives per one-quarter acre, measured by the plat on file with the Superior Court of DeKalb County with any fractional amount rounded down to the nearest whole number, and no more than eight hives on any lot. Hives must be set back a minimum of seven feet six inches from all property lines, and they must be located in the side or rear yard if a principal building exists. The Code prints the setback as seven feet six inches feet, and the quote on this page keeps that wording.
Management duties come next. Hives must be maintained responsibly with adequate space and management techniques to prevent overcrowding and swarming. If a colony becomes a nuisance, the beekeeper must re-queen the hive at their own expense.
The general provisions in Sec. 5-32(a) apply as well. All animals kept under the section must be provided with adequate housing, animals must be kept in sanitary conditions and must not be a public nuisance, and structures and enclosures must comply with setback requirements for accessory structures, with the more restrictive requirement controlling if the two differ. The duty in Sec. 5-32(a)(7) to keep animals confined and off other property does not apply to beekeeping.
Sec. 5-32 prints no permit, registration or fee step for hives. Enforcement of Chapter 5 belongs to the police chief or a designee under Sec. 5-19, which can include DeKalb County Animal Control personnel.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 5-32 has no penalty clause of its own, so Sec. 5-28(a) applies: the police chief cites the violation and, on conviction in a court of competent jurisdiction, the penalty is a fine and/or imprisonment under Sec. 1-11, with every day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. A colony that becomes a nuisance triggers the re-queening duty at the beekeeper's expense under Sec. 5-32(c)(5).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many beehives can I keep in Brookhaven?
How far must hives be from my neighbor's property?
Can I put hives in my front yard?
What if my bees become a nuisance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brookhaven
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