Kendall County, IL Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Kendall County Code Section 36-329(1) makes beekeeping a conditional use in the R-1 One-Family Residential District, limited to personal-use honey production. A permit is required, with the fee set by the County Board, and the minimum lot size is one acre (43,560 square feet), capped at two colonies. No colony may sit in a front yard setback, and every colony must be set back at least 30 feet from a rear or side lot line, dropping to five feet where the lot abuts a street or railroad right-of-way with no sidewalk or pathway.

Any colony within 100 feet of an adjoining home needs a flyway barrier at least six feet tall, and every colony site needs a minimum four-foot perimeter fence with a locking, caution-signed gate. The applicant must notify all adjacent property owners by certified mail; an owner has 14 calendar days to file a written objection with the PBZ Department, and if one objects, no colony may be sited within 100 feet of that objector's home. HOA approval or denial documentation, or a signed statement that no HOA exists, must accompany the application, along with a site plan and proof of the operator's apiary registration with the State Department of Agriculture within 30 days of submittal.

The Zoning Administrator issues and can deny renewal permits for violations, injury to the public, or adverse effects on neighboring properties, appealable in writing to the PBZ Committee; all approved permits must also comply with the Illinois Bees and Apiaries Act, 510 ILCS 20.