Issaquah, WA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

LUC 18.518.050 sets the standards for beekeeping under Chapter 15.60 RCW, Apiaries, and its definitions. Colonies must be maintained in movable frame hives, unless exempted by the Department of Agriculture as an educational exhibit. All colonies must be registered with the Washington State Department of Agriculture in accordance with the apiary law.

Apiary size must be kept to a scale appropriate for the lot, and the code prints a table. Lots from 0 to 10,000 square feet are allowed up to 4 hives, with one additional hive for every additional 2,500 square feet exceeding 10,000 square feet, up to 25 hives. The next printed band, 87,120 to 217,800 square feet (2 acres to 5 acres), is allowed up to 50 hives. Lots over 217,800 square feet (5 acres) are allowed an unlimited amount of hives.

Placement is the second major rule. Hives shall not be located within 25 feet of any property line, and the hive entrances must face away from the nearest property line. Two exceptions apply. One is a solid fence, vegetation barrier, or structure at least six feet high separating the hive from the property line, extending at least 10 feet from the hive along the property line in both directions. The other is hives located indoors, such as during inclement weather.

Two management rules finish the section. Hives shall be maintained to minimize swarming by following approved apiary management practices, and additional temporary small colonies are sanctioned between the months of April to July each year to allow optimal beekeeping.

The enforcement path is gentler than most. Under LUC 18.518.051, a beehive that does not conform to 18.518.050 is considered a nuisance, but on an initial violation the code enforcement officer must first contact the beekeeper to review the chapter and verify the bees will be maintained in compliance.