Knoxville, TN Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Registration required
- Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture
- Hive location
- interior side or rear yard only
- Setback
- 15 ft from lot lines
- Flyway barrier
- 6 ft minimum height
- Rooftop hives
- special rule within 20 ft of windows
- Water
- fresh water supply required on-site
Summary
Knoxville lets residents keep backyard beehives, but Article 10, Section 10.3.D of the zoning code registers every new apiary with the state, confines hives to side and rear yards, and forces a 15-foot setback or a flyway barrier so bees clear neighboring yards instead of flying straight into them.
D. Apiary
1. New apiaries must be registered with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
2. Hives are allowed only in interior side or rear yards.
3. Hives must be set back 15 feet from all lot lines and public sidewalks. This does not apply if the yard is screened by a solid wall or solid fence.
4. When the apiary is located within a yard not bounded by a solid wall or solid fence, a flyway of at least six feet in height comprising of a lattice fence, dense hedge, or similar barrier must be established in front of the opening of the hive such that the bees fly upward and away from neighboring properties. The flyway must be located within three feet of the hive opening and extend at least two feet in width on either side of the hive opening.
5. Hive openings must face away from the nearest abutting lot.
6. Hives must have a fresh water supply located on property.
7. For any rooftop apiary within 20 feet of doors and/or windows of the principal building on an abutting lot...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Section 10.3.D of Knoxville's zoning code (Appendix B, Article 10) is the city's full backyard beekeeping rulebook, added by the Recode Knoxville rewrite. Before placing a hive, item 1 requires you register the new apiary with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, the same registration the state runs for every beekeeper in Tennessee. Item 2 confines hives to interior side yards or rear yards only; a front yard or corner side yard apiary does not conform.
Item 3 sets the buffer: hives must sit at least 15 feet back from every lot line and public sidewalk, unless the yard is already enclosed by a solid wall or solid fence, in which case the 15-foot setback doesn't apply. Where there's no solid screen, item 4 instead requires a flyway, a barrier at least six feet tall of lattice fence, dense hedge, or similar material, positioned within three feet of the hive opening and extending at least two feet past each side, forcing bees to fly up and over rather than out at head height. Item 5 requires the hive opening to face away from the nearest abutting lot, and item 6 requires a fresh water supply on the property so bees aren't drawn to a neighbor's pool or birdbath. Item 7 adds a rooftop-specific rule: a rooftop apiary within 20 feet of a neighboring building's doors or windows must either orient the hive opening away from those openings or install the same six-foot flyway.
Violations & Fines
Apiary standards are enforced under Article 18 of the zoning code like every other Appendix B provision: the Director of Plans Review and Building Inspections handles enforcement, can call in the City Attorney for an injunction or abatement, and each day a hive stays out of compliance, misplaced in a front yard, missing its setback, or missing its flyway, is a separate fined offense under Section 18.2 until it's corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to keep bees in Knoxville?
Can I put a beehive in my front yard?
How close can a hive be to my neighbor's yard?
Are rooftop hives allowed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knoxville
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