Petaluma, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Sonoma County is a major commercial pollination and honey-producing area, and the County Zoning Regulations (Chapter 26) treat beekeeping as an agricultural use generally permitted in the LIA, LEA, DA, AR, RR, and RRD districts. The county itself does not impose a numerical hive limit, distance setback table, or flyway-barrier requirement on apiaries in unincorporated areas; placement is instead governed by general nuisance and setback rules under Chapter 26 and Chapter 1 (Code Enforcement). Apiary registration is mandatory under state law: California Food & Agricultural Code §29040 requires every person who owns, brokers, or possesses an apiary in California to register the number of colonies and apiary location with the County Agricultural Commissioner by January 1 each year (or within 30 days of acquiring bees). Sonoma County administers registration through the statewide BeeWhere program operated by the California Department of Food & Agriculture (AB 1789, 2018). Registration triggers the mandatory 48-hour pesticide notification rule — applicators must notify registered beekeepers at least 48 hours before applying bee-toxic pesticides on blooming crops within a one-mile radius of the apiary. Cities within Sonoma County have their own additional rules: the City of Sonoma generally allows two hives on a typical single-family lot and up to four on larger parcels, and Sebastopol Municipal Code 17.300.050 sets specific setback and flyway-barrier requirements (six-foot continuous barrier extending at least ten feet from the hive entrance). Confirm city rules before keeping bees inside incorporated limits.