Palm Coast, FL Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Florida's beekeeping framework is one of the most preemption-heavy in the country, and Palm Coast residents benefit from it. Florida Statute Chapter 586 (Honey - Honey Bees) provides the operative rules. FS 586.04 ('Registration of beekeepers') requires every person who owns or possesses honey bee colonies in Florida - even a single hive - to register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Bureau of Plant and Apiary Inspection within 30 days of acquiring the colony, to pay a tiered annual registration fee (based on hive count, starting around $10 for 1-5 hives), and to renew the registration annually. Registration enables the State Apiarist to inspect for American foulbrood, small hive beetle, and other regulated diseases, and to notify beekeepers of mosquito-spray applications. FS 586.10 ('Inspection of bees, hives, and apiaries; identification; restriction of movement; powers of department') and the FDACS-adopted 5B-54.0105 F.A.C. ('Beekeeper Compliance Agreement / Best Management Requirements for Maintaining European Honey Bee Colonies') together preempt most local regulation of honey bee colonies that meet the state Best Management Requirements (BMRs). The state BMRs include: (1) FDACS registration of all colonies; (2) maintenance of European honey bee stock (not Africanized hybrids - colonies that test positive must be requeened or destroyed); (3) flyway barriers at least six feet high if the colony is within 15 feet of a property line, with the barrier extending at least 10 feet on either side of the colony; (4) a continuous water source within close proximity to the apiary to prevent foragers from visiting neighbor swimming pools; (5) reasonable colony density limits by lot size (the FDACS table allows 3 colonies on lots under 1/4 acre, 6 on lots 1/4 to 1/2 acre, 10 on lots 1/2 to 1 acre, and progressively more on larger lots). A city or county that wants to regulate beekeeping must do so consistent with the state BMRs - it cannot prohibit beekeeping that complies with the state framework. Palm Coast's Chapter 8 of the City Code does not contain a beekeeping section, so the FS 586 framework fully governs without overlay. Local resources include the Flagler County Beekeepers Club and the University of Florida IFAS Extension Flagler County office in Bunnell, which hosts UF Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory outreach events.