Redlands, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Yes (§ 6.20.020)
- Road setback
- 100 feet
- Dwelling setback
- 600 feet
- Small-apiary exemption
- 10 colonies or fewer
- Placement season
- March 15 to May 20
- Cure period after notice
- 48 hours
Summary
Redlands requires a permit to keep bees and sets strict siting rules: apiaries must sit at least 100 feet from public roads and 600 feet from any inhabited dwelling unless neighbors consent, with a small-apiary exemption for ten colonies or fewer.
A. All apiaries owned and kept within the city shall be kept and located at a place at least one hundred feet (100') from all public roads (traveled portion) unless there are natural barriers to prevent bees from causing a nuisance or hazard to persons using the road. B. All apiaries owned and kept within the city shall be kept and located at a place at least six hundred feet (600') distant from the nearest house or building inhabited as a dwelling and shall not be kept and maintained at a lesser distance thereto unless the owner of such apiary first procures permission from the occupant or person using such building or house as a dwelling so to do.
Full Breakdown
010 and subject to conditions animal control may impose. 030 sets the core siting standards: apiaries must sit at least 100 feet from the traveled portion of all public roads unless natural barriers stop bees from becoming a hazard, and at least 600 feet from the nearest inhabited house or building unless the apiary owner first gets the occupant's permission to site it closer; apiaries near schoolyards or gathering places must be arranged behind barriers so bees fly at a high altitude, and no apiary may be placed on another's land without that owner's permission.
040 restricts placement season, barring any apiary in the city before March 15 or after May 20 of a given year. 050 exempts apiaries of ten colonies or fewer from both the 600-foot dwelling setback and the seasonal window, provided they do not become a public nuisance. 070). 080; failing to cease or remedy the violation within that window is a misdemeanor.
Violations & Fines
Keeping bees without the § 6.20.020 permit, or violating a siting, seasonal, water, or signage rule in Chapter 6.20, draws a 48-hour written notice to cure under § 6.20.080; failing to comply within that period is a misdemeanor, with notice served personally, by mail, or by posting at the apiary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to keep bees in Redlands?
How far must a hive be from my neighbor's house?
Is there an exemption for a small number of hives?
What happens if my apiary violates the rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redlands
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Beekeeping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle beekeeping.