Alpine County, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Alpine County, entirely unincorporated, has no bee-specific chapter in its Animal Control Ordinance (Chapter 6.04). Beekeeping is instead handled through zoning. The County's zoning definition of 'Agriculture' (Section 18.08.050) expressly lists 'apiaries' among agricultural uses, alongside farming, dairying, pasturage, horticulture, viticulture and animal and poultry husbandry. Because agriculture is a permitted use in the AG Agriculture zone (Section 18.16.020(A)) and livestock/agricultural activity is permitted in residential zones such as RE Residential Estate (18.32.020(C)) and RN Residential Neighborhood at a half-acre minimum (18.36.020(D)), keeping bees as an apiary is generally allowed in those zones as part of agriculture. The County does not publish a separate hive-count limit, setback distance, or apiary registration requirement in its code. Beekeepers should still confirm their parcel's zone with County Community Development. Separately, California's Food and Agricultural Code requires apiaries statewide to be registered annually with the county agricultural commissioner and identified - a state requirement that applies in Alpine County independent of local zoning.