Kent, WA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Registration
- Required with WSDA
- Hive cap, lots under 10,000 sf
- Four hives, one swarm each
- Setback
- 25 feet from property line
- Setback exception
- 8+ ft elevation or 6-ft screen
- Zones allowed
- All zones, as accessory use
- Governing section
- KCC 15.08.070(E), cross-ref Ch. 8.03
Summary
Kent allows backyard beekeeping as an accessory use if the keeper registers with the Washington State Department of Agriculture. KCC 15.08.070(E) caps lots under 10,000 square feet at four hives with one swarm each and requires hives to sit 25 feet from property lines unless elevated or screened by a six-foot fence or hedge.
E. Beekeeping. Beekeeping is permitted as an accessory use, when registered with the State Department of Agriculture; provided, that: 1. No more than four (4) hives, each with only one (1) swarm, shall be kept on lots of less than ten thousand (10,000) square feet. 2. Hives shall not be located within twenty-five (25) feet of any property line except when situated eight (8) feet or more above the grade immediately adjacent to the grade of the lot on which the hives are located or when situated less than eight (8) feet above the adjacent existing lot grade and behind a solid fence or hedge six (6) feet high parallel to any property line within twenty-five (25) feet of a hive and extending at least twenty-five (25) feet beyond the hive in both directions.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4542, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
KCC 15.08.070 governs the keeping of bees alongside small and large domesticated animals and domesticated fowl, permitting them in all zones as an accessory use to a principal or conditional use, subject to the standards of the section and Chapter 8.03 KCC animal control. Subsection (E) sets the beekeeping-specific rules: beekeeping is permitted as an accessory use only when the keeper is registered with the State Department of Agriculture. On lots smaller than 10,000 square feet, no more than four hives are allowed, and each hive may hold only one swarm; the section states no separate numeric hive cap for lots of 10,000 square feet or more.
Placement is controlled by subsection (E)(2): hives must stay at least 25 feet from any property line, unless the hive sits eight feet or higher above the grade adjacent to the lot, or unless the hive is under eight feet and shielded by a solid fence or hedge at least six feet high that runs parallel to the property line for at least 25 feet in both directions from the hive. Chapter 8.03 KCC, referenced generally for the keeping of bees and other animals, layers additional animal-control standards on top of the zoning rules in 15.08.070. The section was adopted by Ordinance No. 3844 in 2007 and has not been separately amended since.
Violations & Fines
Keeping hives without state registration, exceeding four hives on a lot under 10,000 square feet, or placing a hive within 25 feet of a property line without the required elevation or six-foot screening violates KCC 15.08.070(E) and is enforceable as a zoning code violation under Chapter 8.03 KCC and the city's general code enforcement process, which can require relocation or removal of noncompliant hives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to keep bees in Kent?
How many beehives can I have on my property?
How far do beehives have to be from my neighbor's yard?
Can I keep bees in any zoning district in Kent?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kent
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Beekeeping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle beekeeping.