DeKalb County, GA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

7(J) sets out five numbered requirements that together define legal beekeeping in unincorporated DeKalb County. First is density: no more than two apiary colonies are allowed per one-quarter acre, so the allowance scales with lot area rather than being a flat per-property cap. Second is the setback: every colony must sit at least 10 feet from all property lines, not just the line nearest the hive, which pushes hives toward the interior of the lot on every side. Third is placement: if a principal building exists on the lot, colonies must be located in the side or rear yard, keeping hives out of the front yard of any developed home site.

Fourth is an ongoing management duty: colonies must be maintained responsibly, with adequate space and management techniques used to prevent overcrowding and swarming, so the obligation continues long after the hive is lawfully sited. Fifth is the nuisance remedy: in any instance in which a colony becomes a nuisance, the beekeeper must re-queen the hive. The prescribed fix is re-queening, not removing or relocating the colony. These rules apply only in unincorporated DeKalb County; incorporated cities within the county set their own beekeeping regulations.