Dothan, AL Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

The zoning code's Table of Permitted Accessory and Agricultural Uses, City Code § 114-131.1, is where Dothan settles whether backyard beekeeping is legal on a given lot. In the Agricultural-Conservation (AC) district, 'Aviary/Apiary' is marked 'P' for permitted, with footnote 2 explaining that the by-right status applies only outside a platted subdivision; a beekeeper on an AC lot inside an approved subdivision must instead appeal to the board of zoning adjustment (BZA). Every residential and manufactured-home district after that, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-A, MH-1 and MH-2, carries an 'S' for special exception rather than a blank prohibition, meaning an apiary is not automatically legal on an ordinary house lot but can be approved case by case.

Getting that exception means filing with the BZA under article VI of chapter 114: a $35.00 nonrefundable application fee, seven days' newspaper notice, and written notice mailed to abutting and across-the-street property owners at least ten days before the hearing. The board must find the request will not adversely affect neighboring property rights and can attach conditions, such as hive placement or a cap on colony count, before approving it. No aviary or apiary use appears in the commercial, office or manufacturing use tables, so the practice stays a residential accessory use rather than a licensed business activity anywhere in the city.