Los Banos, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule
- Total ban on keeping any stand of bees
- Section
- § 6-1.9004
- Zoning exception
- None; unlike the City's livestock rule
- Enacted
- § 2, Ord. 1153, effective May 19, 2017
- Penalty class
- Infraction or misdemeanor plus admin penalties
- Appeal
- Written notice to City Clerk within 14 days
Summary
Los Banos flatly bans beekeeping inside city limits. Los Banos Municipal Code § 6-1.9004 states that no person shall keep or maintain within the City any stand of bees, with no zoning exception, unlike the City's livestock rule in the section right before it. Violators face misdemeanor or infraction charges plus administrative penalties.
No person shall keep or maintain within the City any stand of bees.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4356507; v3 updated 2025-03-05).
Full Breakdown
9004 is a single, unqualified sentence: no person shall keep or maintain within the City any stand of bees. It was adopted by Ordinance 1153, effective May 19, 2017, as part of Title 6's Article 9 miscellaneous animal rules. 9004 carries no such carve-out for bees anywhere in its text, so the prohibition applies to every parcel regardless of zoning district or lot size. Enforcement runs through the Animal Control Services Unit under the same Article 9 penalty and appeal structure that governs wild animals and livestock.
9006(a) makes it unlawful and a public nuisance to intentionally violate any provision of the chapter, chargeable as an infraction or misdemeanor, with misdemeanor fines and imprisonment capped by Government Code § 36901; subsection (b) layers on administrative penalties under Title 4 Chapter 11, and subsection (c) makes all these remedies cumulative rather than exclusive. 9007, triggering a hearing before the City Manager or designee on at least five days' notice.
Violations & Fines
Keeping any stand of bees anywhere in Los Banos violates § 6-1.9004 outright and is deemed a public nuisance under § 6-1.9006(a), chargeable as an infraction or misdemeanor with fines and jail time capped by Government Code § 36901, plus additional administrative penalties available under Title 4 Chapter 11 of the Municipal Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is beekeeping legal anywhere in Los Banos?
Why is the beekeeping ban different from the livestock rule?
What happens if someone keeps bees anyway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Los Banos
California rules heatmap·Compare Los Banos to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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