The county animal code (PAWS) does not regulate honeybees. Where you can keep hives is governed by zoning and Tennessee's state apiary and right-to-farm law, not by PAWS. Confirm hive placement with county planning or your city before setting up.
Rutherford County PAWS Rules address dogs, cats, fowl, and livestock but set no hive-count, setback, or registration rule for beekeeping. Apiaries fall under the Rutherford County Zoning Resolution for unincorporated land—generally permitted in agricultural and many residential districts—or the applicable city code. Tennessee regulates apiaries and bee health at the state level through the Department of Agriculture (T.C.A. Title 44, Chapter 15), and right-to-farm protections under T.C.A. §43-26 apply to established beekeeping operations. There is no dedicated county beekeeping ordinance in the animal code.
No PAWS penalty applies to beekeeping. Zoning violations are enforced by the Rutherford County Planning Department; state apiary rules are enforced by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
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