Eagan, MN Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Eagan's animal rules group honey bees with farm animals rather than with household pets. According to the City, cattle, horses, mules, sheep, goats, swine, ponies, ducks, geese, turkeys, chickens, guinea hens, and honey bees may be kept on properties that are zoned agricultural and have a minimum of five acres. Because most Eagan residential lots are far smaller than five acres and are not zoned agricultural, conventional backyard beekeeping is generally not available the way it is in some neighboring cities. This contrasts with the backyard chicken program, which the City separately opened to single-family residential lots by permit; the City did not extend a comparable residential beekeeping permit in its published animal rules. The Eagan Police Department's animal control officer enforces the City Code Chapter 10 animal provisions, and the City's Animal Rules & Ordinances page is the authoritative summary of what may be kept where. Anyone considering hives should confirm their parcel's zoning and acreage with the City and review the full City Code, since the agricultural-zoning and acreage threshold is the controlling requirement reflected in the City's published guidance.