Stafford County, VA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Stafford County Code § 28-39(aa) sets the terms under which honeybee hives are allowed as an accessory use to a single-family dwelling in the R-1, Suburban Residential District. Keeping four hives or fewer is permitted only after the property owner obtains a zoning permit from the department of planning and zoning; a beekeeping best management plan must be submitted with that permit application. The ordinance ties hive count directly to lot size, scaling from no hives at all on a lot under 10,000 square feet up to four hives only on lots of 15,000 square feet or more.

Every hive must sit in the rear yard and be set back at least 15 feet from all property lines. Beekeepers must also provide at least one adequate, accessible water source exclusively for the hives within 20 feet of them; a natural stream, pond or spring can satisfy that requirement. If a hive's landing platform faces a property line within 20 feet, the keeper must install a flight-path barrier at least six feet high, a fence, structure or evergreen shrubs, shielding the entire hive. A violation of these accessory-use standards is enforced the same as any other zoning violation under Chapter 28: the zoning administrator can issue a notice of violation and, if uncorrected, a civil summons carrying fines up to $100 per day under Stafford County Code § 28-314(c).