Dakota County has no countywide beekeeping ordinance; hive rules are set by your city. Many Dakota County cities restrict beekeeping to agricultural-zoned land or require a permit, hive setbacks, and a flyway barrier. Check your city code before keeping bees.
Beekeeping is regulated locally under city zoning authority (Minn. Stat. Ch. 462), not by Dakota County. Rules differ sharply among the county's cities: several suburban cities allow hives only on agriculturally zoned property, while others permit residential beekeeping with a permit, a cap on hive numbers, minimum lot-line setbacks, a water source, and a solid flyway barrier to raise the bees' flight path. Because the county sets no general standard, a resident must consult their own city's ordinance (Eagan, Burnsville, Lakeville, Apple Valley, Inver Grove Heights, etc.) to learn whether hives are allowed and under what conditions. The University of Minnesota Bee Lab maintains a directory of Minnesota municipal beekeeping ordinances.
Enforced by the city as a municipal zoning/nuisance violation; typical remedies include permit denial or revocation, fines, and orders to remove hives.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
dakota-county-mn
Backyard composting is allowed and encouraged in Dakota County. State law bans putting yard waste in the trash, and the county runs free organics (food-scrap...
dakota-county-mn
Dakota County has no artificial-turf ordinance. Whether synthetic lawn is allowed, and any coverage or drainage limits, is decided by your city's zoning and ...
dakota-county-mn
Minnesota law requires every city to allow managed natural landscapes of native or nonnative grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs, even over eight inches tall. D...
dakota-county-mn
Rain barrels and rain gardens are legal in Dakota County and encouraged for stormwater and groundwater protection. There is no county permit for residential ...
dakota-county-mn
Dakota County does not set watering restrictions. Your city or water utility does, typically odd/even address-day sprinkling and no midday watering during su...
dakota-county-mn
Minnesota's Noxious Weed Law requires all landowners to control noxious weeds. The mayor of each city and town supervisors serve as local weed inspectors; Da...
See how Dakota County's beekeeping rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.