Kansas City, MO Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Beekeeping is hereby deemed and declared to be a nuisance unless each apiary, and hive therein, is maintained in a reasonable and proper manner so as to prevent unnecessary annoyance to adjacent neighbors.(c)Registration of apiaries; identification of hives. Every beekeeper must register each apiary with the director of health, and state, on forms provided by the director of health, his name, his residential and business addresses and telephone numbers, the location of each apiary expressed in terms permitting a ready verification visit by the director of health, and the number of hives in each apiary. Each hive shall be identified with the name and the business and residential addresses and telephone numbers of the beekeeper. Such identification must be legible and visible during daylight hours at a distance of ten feet for a person with normal eyesight. If an unregistered apiary or an unidentified hive is found on any premises and the beekeeper in writing authorizes the director of health to remove or destroy such apiary or hive, the beekeeper shall not be charged with failure to comply with these registration and identification requirements.(d)Authority of director to remove or destroy apiaries. Whenever the director of health shall find, and so declare, that a public health emergency exists by reason of beekeeping within the city limits, the director of health may order the removal or destruction of any apiary in order to preserve the public health and welfare.