Lakewood, WA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

030(B)(1) opens by barring anyone from keeping an apiary, colony, hive, cluster or swarm of stinging insects other than bees anywhere in the City except under the section's provisions. For noncommercial keeping, subsection (b) requires the beekeeper to first obtain zoning certification from the Director and sign an affidavit agreeing to comply with the rules. An owner or occupant of a lot with at least six thousand (6,000) square feet and a single-family dwelling may keep up to three colonies, each housed in its own hive.

021, and stand no more than six feet tall including any stand or rack. A minimum six-foot flight dispersion barrier, such as a solid fence, wall or hedge, must separate the hives and be kept in good repair, and a dedicated water source for the bees must be maintained on the property, positioned closer to the colonies than any water source on a neighboring lot. Every hive must sit at least five feet from the property line and at least ten feet from any dwelling on an adjacent lot.

Africanized bees are barred outright, and anyone transporting bees through the City must display the beekeeper's state-assigned identification number on each hive, may not let bees become a public nuisance on city streets, and may not park a transport vehicle carrying bees on a city street for more than twenty minutes. Commercial beekeeping is regulated separately under subsection (a): it requires a use permit on residential lots under five acres, hives set back at least 100 feet from public streets and 300 feet from any off-site residence absent a variance, and commercial apiaries must sit at least one mile from any other apiary not under common ownership.