San Rafael, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- No: exempt from use permit
- Citation
- SRMC § 14.17.020.B.8
- Numeric hive cap
- None stated in ordinance
- Scope
- Citywide, all residential zoning districts
Summary
San Rafael exempts backyard beekeeping from the administrative use permit the city otherwise requires for keeping mammals, birds, and reptiles on residential property.
An administrative use permit shall be required for the keeping of animals within the City of San Rafael. The following animals are exempt from these regulations:1.Fish;2.Three (3) or fewer domestic dogs, not including wolf-hybrids, over the age of four (4) months per dwelling unit;3.Ten (10) or fewer domestic cats over the age of four (4) months per dwelling unit;4.Any number of domestic dogs, cats or potbellied pigs under the age of four (4) months;5.Three (3) or fewer potbellied pigs (not including hybrids over seventy (70) pounds);6.Four (4) or fewer hens (i.e., female domesticated chicken);
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 37).
Full Breakdown
San Rafael Municipal Code § 14.17.020.B.8 lists beekeeping among the animal-keeping activities exempt from the administrative use permit that Chapter 14.17 otherwise requires citywide for noncommercial keeping of mammals, birds, reptiles, and bees. The exemption sits alongside caps like three or fewer dogs, four or fewer hens, and ten or fewer small birds or rodents: beekeeping carries no numeric limit in the ordinance itself. Nonexempt animal keeping remains subject to case-by-case review for odor, noise, sanitation, and nuisance impacts under § 14.17.020.C-D, but that review does not apply to backyard hives.
Violations & Fines
Because beekeeping is exempt from the use permit, there is no permit-based violation for keeping bees itself; a hive that becomes a public nuisance (aggressive swarming, sanitation problems) can still be addressed under the city's general nuisance and animal-keeping enforcement provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to keep bees in San Rafael?
Does San Rafael limit how many hives I can keep?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Rafael
California rules heatmap·Compare San Rafael to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.