Arizona state law preempts local beekeeping bans under ARS 3-363. Pima County allows beekeeping in all residential zones. Africanized bee management is a concern in the Sonoran Desert region. The Arizona Department of Agriculture registers apiaries and handles swarm complaints.
ARS 3-363 establishes state-level regulation of apiaries and prevents counties from prohibiting beekeeping outright. Pima County permits hives on residential parcels with no specific hive-count limit in county code. Best practices recommend placing hives at least 25 feet from property lines and providing a flyway barrier (fence or hedge) of 6 feet or higher to redirect bee flight paths above pedestrian level. Africanized honey bees (AHB) are established throughout the Tucson basin and Pima County, making hive management and re-queening with European stock critical. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension (Tucson office) provides beekeeping resources for Sonoran Desert conditions. The Arizona Department of Agriculture Apiary Program handles complaints about aggressive hives and can order removal of nuisance colonies. Water sources must be provided on-site to prevent bees from visiting neighbor pools or pet dishes.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
Pima County, AZ
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Pima County, AZ
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Pima County, AZ
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Pima County, AZ
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Pima County, AZ
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Pima County, AZ
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See how Pima County's beekeeping rules stack up against other locations.
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