Lancaster, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

180(C)(2) sets out the city's beekeeping standards as part of the broader small-animal keeping rules. Hives may only be kept on single-family residential property in a residential zone larger than one acre, which rules out beekeeping on most standard R-7,000, R-10,000 and R-15,000 lots and confines it largely to the SRR and Rural Residential zones. Only the common domestic honey bee, Apis Mellifera, is permitted at any stage of development, and no more than 2 hives may be maintained on a qualifying property. The standards regulate placement in detail.

Hives must be located in the rear or side yard only, never in a front yard or the street-side yard of a corner lot, and must sit at least 5 feet from the side and rear property lines. Hive entrances have to face away from or parallel to the nearest property line so bees do not fly directly at a neighbor's yard. Every colony must be kept in a hive with movable frames and combs capable of being inspected, and hives must stay in sound, usable condition at all times.

To keep bees from crossing directly into neighboring yards at ground level, the code requires either a 6-foot flight barrier, which can be vegetative such as a hedge, that forces bees to fly over it before leaving the property, or elevation of the hive at least 8 feet above the adjacent ground. As an accessory use tied to the underlying residential parcel, a beekeeping setup that fails these placement, hive-count or barrier standards is treated the same as any other animal-keeping violation under the zoning code's general enforcement provisions.