Merced, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Backyard beekeeping is not generally permitted inside the City of Merced. Section 6.04.080F of the Merced Municipal Code states that, except for educational purposes conducted by a governmental agency, no person shall keep or maintain within the city any bees. (Honey-producing bees are expressly excluded from the city's "wild animal" definition in Sec. 6.04.010AC(5), so they are not regulated as exotic animals, but they remain barred by Sec. 6.04.080F.) The only places apiaries appear as a permitted activity are the legacy annexed agricultural areas described in Section 6.04.081, where the allowed-animal tables list "bee raising (apiaries)" for certain qualifying parcels (for example, the Pettinotti Road area). For most city residents, keeping bees is not allowed. Separately, anyone who does lawfully keep bees in California must register their apiary annually with the county agricultural commissioner under California Food & Agricultural Code Section 29040 (now done through the state's BeeWhere system), regardless of hive count; hobbyists with nine or fewer hives are exempt from the fee but must still register. Residents who want to keep bees in Merced should confirm their parcel status with the City and register any colonies with the Merced County Agricultural Commissioner.