Parker, CO Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Parker Municipal Code Section 9.05.060 sets a sliding cap on the number of bee colonies allowed per lot in the Town, whether the property is residential or commercial. A lot larger than 5,000 square feet but under a quarter acre may keep two colonies; a quarter-acre to half-acre lot may keep four; a half-acre to one-acre lot may keep six; a one-acre to five-acre lot may keep twelve. Lots of five to 35 acres may keep 24 colonies if every hive sits at least 200 feet from all property lines, and lots of 35 acres or more face no colony limit once hives are set back 250 feet.

Every hive, regardless of lot size, must sit at least five feet from any property line and stay out of the front yard as defined by the applicable zone district. Rooftop hives are allowed only on flat roofs of commercially zoned properties that still meet the five-foot setback. Beekeepers must keep a water source on the lot at all times so bees do not congregate at neighbors' pools, faucets or birdbaths, and must re-queen any colony that turns aggressive or swarm-prone with gentler stock. A hive kept in a community garden, park or open space must be enclosed with a six-foot fence, though the Animal Welfare Officer can waive that for exhibition or education hives. Keeping Africanized bees anywhere in Parker is flatly unlawful, with no lot-size exception. The ordinance traces to Ordinance 5.06.33.7, Section 5, adopted in 2015.