Tulare County, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Tulare County's animal control chapter (Chapter 4-7) does not address honeybees; beekeeping is handled as an agricultural matter by the Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner's office. Under California Food and Agricultural Code Section 29040, every person who keeps bees must register annually with the county agricultural commissioner of the county where the bees are located, regardless of the number of colonies, the purpose (honey, pollination, or hobby), or hive type. Tulare County uses the statewide BeeWhere registration system. Because Tulare County is a major citrus and pollination region, the Agricultural Commissioner applies special seasonal rules: the office's apiary guidance describes a citrus-related window each spring (roughly March 15 through May 31) and requires hive moves to be reported within a short timeframe. Apiaries must also be identified per Food and Agricultural Code provisions (Sections 29040-29056). On top of state registration, where and how many hives you may keep on a parcel can be limited by Tulare County zoning for that district. Beekeepers should confirm both apiary registration with the Agricultural Commissioner and any applicable zoning or setback rules before placing hives. Because the rules here come from state law and the Agricultural Commissioner rather than Animal Services, beekeeping disputes are not handled as animal control cases.