Carmel allows personal (non-agricultural) beekeeping on property you own, rent or lease, with hive placement setbacks: no hive forward of the home or within 300 feet of a front lot line, 15 feet from a side line, and 20 feet from a rear line.
Beekeeping is governed by city zoning in Hamilton County. Carmel's UDO permits beekeeping for personal use, not agricultural use, and imposes location limits to keep hives away from lot lines and the street. Ground-level hives must sit at least 15 feet from a side lot line and 20 feet from a rear lot line, and no hive may be forward of the front building line or within 300 feet of a front lot line. Indiana registers apiaries at the state level through the DNR under the state apiary program; other cities set their own hive rules.
Non-compliant hive placement is a zoning violation subject to city code enforcement and abatement; relocation of hives may be ordered.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Hamilton County's beekeeping rules stack up against other locations.
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