Pleasanton, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Beekeeping in Pleasanton is governed by the city's own zoning code, Chapter 18.103, which requires a beekeeping permit and sets specific standards. Hive numbers are capped by zoning district: no more than two hives in the R-1 zoning district, the RM zoning district, and the Downtown Specific Plan area, and no more than 10 hives within the Agricultural (A) zoning district. Hives must be set back at least five feet from any property line and are not permitted in front yards. To push bees up and over neighbors rather than across at head height, the ordinance requires a flyway barrier at the hive opening that forces bees to cross the property line at a minimum height of six feet. Beekeepers must give notice to all neighbors within 100 feet of the hives. Swarming bees are treated as a potential nuisance subject to enforcement. Note that Pleasanton's rules differ from unincorporated Alameda County, where colony limits are tied to lot size (one colony per 10,000 square feet in the Fairview area, or a one-acre minimum lot elsewhere) and apiaries must be registered annually through the state BeeWhere program. Because Pleasanton is an incorporated city, its Chapter 18.103 standards - not the county's - apply within city limits.