Riverside, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

20 treats bees as a permitted use so long as the apiary, defined broadly to include the hive, comb, colonies, and equipment wherever kept, stays clear of neighbors and roadways. 060(A) requires written permission from the property owner or occupant before placing an apiary on land the beekeeper doesn't own or lease. Subsection (B) sets a 300-foot buffer from any public street, road or freeway unless a natural barrier keeps bees from becoming a hazard to passersby; subsection (C) sets a 500-foot buffer from any house or building, waivable only if the beekeeper gets the occupant's written permission.

Hives within 500 feet of a schoolyard or other place where people congregate must sit behind a barrier, natural or built, at least six feet tall (subsection D). An apiary can't be maintained if a substantial number of its bees are straying onto other land and creating a nuisance that endangers health, safety or property (subsection E). Every apiary kept somewhere other than the beekeeper's own residence must carry a sign, at least one inch of lettering in a contrasting color, giving the responsible person's name, address and phone number (subsection F).

070 separately requires a standing water source within 100 feet of the hives, or a stream/reservoir within 300 feet, so bees don't range onto neighboring properties looking for water. 050 through a Public Works Director notice-and-abatement process.