El Cerrito, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Contra Costa County permits hobby and commercial beekeeping in most agricultural and large-lot residential zones. The County Agricultural Commissioner requires registration of bee hives under California Food & Agricultural Code §29040 — an annual registration identifying hive location and keeper. Typical requirements include: hives set back 10 to 20 feet from property lines, flyway barriers (fences or vegetation at least 6 feet tall) where hives are within 25 feet of a neighbor, and a fresh water source on-site to prevent bees from visiting neighbors' pools. Suburban residential zones allow small-scale beekeeping (typically 2–4 hives per parcel); larger agricultural parcels allow more. Africanized honey bees (AHB) have been documented in parts of east Contra Costa County, and any hive showing aggressive behavior is subject to mandatory requeening with a European queen or destruction. Commercial beekeepers moving hives into the county must notify the Agricultural Commissioner and comply with Varroa-mite and American foulbrood inspection protocols. Neighbor complaints about aggressive hives or persistent stings can trigger County Ag Commissioner inspection.