Loveland, CO Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

04 permits apiaries only on lots used for single-family detached residential, community garden, or farm or ranch purposes in Loveland, Larimer County. Every hive must sit at least five feet from any property line, and the whole apiary must be at least 200 feet from the property line of any school or day care facility. If a colony sits within 25 feet of the property line, or within 25 feet of a public recreation or assembly area such as picnic tables or a playground, the beekeeper must install a flyway barrier at least six feet tall, made of a solid wall or fence running parallel to that line and extending 10 feet beyond the colony in each direction, so bees are forced to fly at least six feet above ground near the boundary.

Beekeepers must keep a convenient, non-stagnant water source available to the bees at all times so they don't congregate at neighboring water sources. Colony density is tied to parcel size: four colonies on a quarter- to half-acre lot, six on a half-acre to one-acre lot, and eight on a lot of an acre or more, but there is no numeric cap at all if every hive is kept at least 200 feet from every property line. A beekeeper may also keep one nucleus colony, in a hive no larger than a standard 9 5/8-inch, 10-frame body with no supers, for every two allowed colonies, and must dispose of or combine it with an allowed colony within 30 days of acquiring it.