Beekeeping is legal across Essex County, and hives must be registered with the state under MGL c.128 §32. The apiary registration fee is capped at five dollars per beekeeper regardless of how many colonies you keep.
Massachusetts welcomes beekeeping and regulates it for disease control, not to bar it. Under c.128 §32, the state may require registration of all bee colonies and their location by the owner, with a fee that can't exceed five dollars per registrant regardless of hive count, and the apiary inspector may inspect hives for disease. Essex towns like Newburyport, Beverly, and Andover add local setback and hive-number rules in residential zones, and honeybees are exempt from the exotic-animal permitting that covers wild species.
Keeping unregistered colonies violates c.128 and blocks disease inspection. Ignoring a town's setback or hive-count bylaw draws a zoning notice and fines, and hives kept as a nuisance can be ordered relocated by the Board of Health.
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