McKeesport, PA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Pennsylvania's Bee Law (3 Pa.C.S. Chapter 21, formerly 3 P.S. §2101 et seq.) governs beekeeping statewide. Every apiary — even a single backyard hive — must be registered annually with the PA Department of Agriculture (PDA), Bureau of Plant Industry, Apiary Services. Registration costs $10 per apiary location per 2-year cycle and requires the owner's name, address, apiary location(s), and colony count. PDA apiary inspectors may enter and inspect hives for American foulbrood and other diseases. PA has no statewide preemption of municipal beekeeping ordinances, so McKeesport could restrict hive placement under its 2017 Zoning Ordinance. McKeesport's code does not prohibit beekeeping, but best practices consistent with typical PA urban ordinances apply: hives set back at least 10 feet from property lines, entrances facing away from neighboring properties or screened by a 6-foot barrier (hedge or fence) to force bee flight paths upward, fresh water source on-site, and no more than 2-4 colonies per typical residential lot. Hives causing a documented nuisance (repeated stinging of neighbors, aggressive swarms) may be ordered removed under PA Bee Law §2118 (public nuisance provision).