Fayette County, GA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Fayette County Code § 110-88, 'Beekeeping,' permits hives on any lot where single-family residence is a permitted use, listing the districts by name: C-S, EST, R-85, R-80, R-78, R-75, R-72, R-70, R-55, R-50, R-45, R-40, R-20, and PUD-PRD. Three conditions attach. First, 'All beehives shall meet the setbacks for the applicable zoning district,' tying hive placement to the same setback lines that govern accessory structures in that district rather than a separate beekeeping setback. Second, if a complaint comes in, 'the beekeeper shall have 30 days from the time of a complaint to bring the beehives into compliance,' giving a defined cure period rather than immediate enforcement.

Third, the code affirmatively allows commerce: 'the on-premises sale of honey produced on the premises shall be allowed,' and specifically states that 'approval of a home occupation shall not be required' for that honey sale, so a beekeeper does not need to go through the county's home occupation permitting process under article V of chapter 110 just to sell jars of honey from the property. Notably, § 110-88 does not list a hive-count cap, a colony-density limit, or a minimum distance from neighboring dwellings beyond the ordinary zoning setback, so the primary regulatory lever is the 30-day complaint-response window rather than upfront numeric restrictions. 5.