Camarillo, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Where allowed
- A-E Agricultural Exclusive zone only
- Front setback for hives
- 150 feet (Sec. 19.10.080(C))
- Interior lot-line setback
- 100 feet (Sec. 19.10.080(C))
- Excluded from apiary use
- Honey houses, extraction houses
Summary
Beekeeping is a permitted agricultural use only in Camarillo's A-E Agricultural Exclusive zone, where hives are treated the same as any other structure for housing animals: they must sit at least one hundred fifty feet from the front property line and one hundred feet from interior lot lines.
J.Apiary; for the purpose of this title, apiary includes one or more hives or boxes occupied by bees (hives or boxes include colonies) and may not be interpreted to include honey houses, extraction houses; ... C.Structures for the keeping of animals shall comply with all provisions of the law. All hives, pens, coops, corrals or other structures for the housing of beast, fowl or animal shall be located not less than one hundred fifty feet or more from the front property line: or ultimate right-of-way, watercourse or not less than one hundred feet from any interior property line.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 27 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
020(J) lists apiary as a permitted use in the A-E zone, defining it to mean "one or more hives or boxes occupied by bees (hives or boxes include colonies)" while specifically excluding honey houses and extraction houses from that allowance, so honey processing buildings are treated as a separate use rather than folded into the apiary permission. 14, a residential lot in Camarillo has no zoning path to keep hives; those chapters instead cap household pets, pigeons and small farm animals without ever mentioning bees.
54, and with the sanitary-maintenance duty that applies to all animal-keeping areas under the A-E and R-E chapters. A landowner wanting to keep bees inside city limits therefore needs an A-E-zoned parcel large enough to satisfy both the ten-acre minimum lot size and the 150/100-foot hive setbacks before the use is allowed at all.
Violations & Fines
Placing hives closer than the required 150-foot front or 100-foot interior setback, or operating extraction/honey-house processing without the separate permit that use requires, is a zoning violation the Community Development Department can enforce through correction notices, stop-work orders and misdemeanor or infraction citation under Title 19's general zoning enforcement provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep beehives on a residential lot in Camarillo?
How far from my property line do beehives need to be in the A-E zone?
Does the apiary definition cover a honey extraction building?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Camarillo
California rules heatmap·Compare Camarillo to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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Beekeeping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle beekeeping.