Coon Rapids, MN Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Chapter 6-800 governs apiaries. Section 6-802 bans hives in the front yard (a corner lot counts as having two front yards) and requires hives to sit at least ten feet from rear or side property lines, 20 feet from public rights-of-way, and ten feet from any adjacent dwelling unit. If a colony sits within 25 feet of a lot line, the beekeeper must maintain a flyway barrier at least six feet tall, made of wall, fence, or dense vegetation, running ten feet past the hive in each direction, unless the adjoining land is undeveloped, agriculturally or industrially zoned, outside city limits, or wildlife/park land.

Section 6-803 caps colonies by lot size: two colonies on a half-acre lot or smaller, four on a lot larger than a half-acre but under three-quarters of an acre, six up to one acre, eight from one to five acres, and no numeric limit above five acres; a temporarily housed swarm removed as a public service does not count against the cap for up to six months. Section 6-804 requires removable-frame hives kept in usable condition, a water source for active colonies, sealed storage of wax and feed materials, re-queening of unusually aggressive colonies, and proof the beekeeper completed a beekeeping course covering disease, mite, and swarm management.

Section 6-805 requires a Community Development Director permit with a site plan, proof of coursework, rental-property owner consent where applicable, and City Council appeal rights within ten days of a denial; beekeepers active before the November 21, 2023 ordinance had until July 1, 2024 to register. Section 6-807 sets a presumed value of $275 per colony for property-destruction enforcement purposes.