Fitchburg, WI Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Section 22-56(14)(b) of the Fitchburg zoning ordinance lets residents keep honey bees, apis mellifera, in the yards of single-family residences or duplexes located in the R-L, R-LM or R-M districts, subject to a detailed set of standards. No hive may exceed 20 cubic feet in volume, and the number of hives scales with lot size: up to six hives on lots up to two acres, up to eight hives on lots between two and five acres, and no numeric limit at all on lots of five acres or more.

The beekeeping use must stay accessory to the residential use and cannot become a commercial operation. Placement is tightly controlled too: hives cannot sit in the front yard, the hive entrances must face away from the nearest property line, and every hive needs at least three feet of clearance from a property line, 25 feet from a public sidewalk or path, and 25 feet from a principal building on an abutting property. If a property line sits within 25 feet of a hive, the beekeeper must install a six-foot flyway barrier, a wall, fence or dense vegetation, positioned to shield both legs of the triangle running from the hive to the ends of the exposed property line.

Beyond siting, the ordinance requires a permit from the zoning administrator before anyone acquires or keeps bees, on-site water for the hives, removable-comb hives kept in good repair, and removal of any hive left unused for 12 consecutive months. Keeping bees also requires notifying adjacent property owners and residents before starting.