Prince William County permits up to four beehives as an accessory use on any residential lot. Additional hives require extra lot area, plus an on-site water source and a flight-path barrier where hives sit close to a lot line (Zoning Sec. 32-300.02).
The county's Zoning Ordinance allows keeping honeybees in four beehives or less as an accessory use to a residential principal use on any lot. On lots of 10,000 square feet or larger, more than four hives may be kept if there is an additional 2,500 square feet of lot area for each hive. In all cases, one adequate and accessible water source must be provided on-site within 50 feet of the hives. If a hive's landing platform faces and is within ten feet of any lot line, a flight-path barrier (a fence, structure, or plantings at least six feet high) must be located in front of the hive. Virginia also encourages beekeeping statewide under its apiary law.
Exceeding the hive count for your lot size, or failing to provide the required water source or flight-path barrier, is a zoning violation enforced by PWC Zoning Administration through notices of violation and civil penalties. Nuisance complaints may also prompt
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting is allowed in Prince William County. There is no permit for a residential compost pile, but it must be kept so it does not create odor, a...
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Prince William County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating residential artificial turf. Synthetic lawns are generally allowed, but they cannot...
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Prince William County actively favors native trees and woodland conservation in its landscaping standards. Development landscape plans must preserve native w...
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Rainwater harvesting is legal in Prince William County and, as a riparian state, Virginia places no ownership limit on captured rain. Rain barrels are unregu...
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Prince William County sets no permanent lawn-watering schedule. Virginia is a riparian (not scheduled-irrigation) water state, so day-of-week limits appear o...
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Weeds over 12 inches tall are prohibited on developed residential and commercial lots of two acres or less. The rule is enforced by Neighborhood Services und...
See how Prince William County's beekeeping rules stack up against other locations.
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