Des Moines, IA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Hives
- Exempt from § 18-4 acreage rule
- Minimum lot size
- None required for bees
- Setback
- 75-ft rule doesn't apply to hives
- Permit
- No beekeeping permit in the code
- Coverage
- Des Moines corporate limits only
Summary
Des Moines exempts hives from the acreage-lot and setback rules that apply to livestock and fowl, so backyard beekeeping is allowed citywide with no minimum lot size.
No horse, cow, calf, swine, sheep, goat, llama, camel, ostrich, peacock, chicken, goose, duck or other agricultural animal or any nondomestic animal shall be kept within the city's corporate limits on any lot or parcel of land unless such parcel of land shall be an acreage, except as provided under subsections (f), (g) and (h) of this section and article IV of this chapter. The area where any such animal is kept on the acreage shall be 75 feet from any neighboring residential dwelling and not located in a front yard area. The keeping of bees in hives is exempted from this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Municipal Code § 18-4(a) generally confines horses, goats, chickens and other agricultural or nondomestic animals to lots that qualify as an acreage, with a 75-foot setback from neighboring homes. The same subsection carves bees out entirely: "The keeping of bees in hives is exempted from this section." That means a hobbyist can keep hives on an ordinary residential lot anywhere inside Des Moines city limits without meeting the acreage, setback or animal-count rules that govern livestock and backyard fowl.
Violations & Fines
Because hives are exempt from Section 18-4, keeping bees on a standard residential lot is not itself a code violation and carries no permit or acreage citation. Other Chapter 18 animal-welfare provisions, such as the neglect standard in § 18-2, remain in force and are enforced as simple misdemeanors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an acreage lot to keep bees in Des Moines?
Does Des Moines require a beekeeping permit or hive registration?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Des Moines
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