Seattle, WA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

E treats beekeeping as an accessory use permitted outright in every zone, but it comes with a state-level precondition baked into the local rule: the hives must be registered with the Washington State Department of Agriculture before the local allowance applies. On the more common small residential lot, anything under 10,000 square feet, the code caps the apiary at four hives, and each of those hives can house only a single swarm, so stacking multiple colonies into one box to dodge the count doesn't satisfy the standard.

The setback rule is the more technical piece: any hive within 25 feet of a lot line is out of compliance unless it clears one of two conditions. The first is elevation, mounting the hive 8 feet or more above the grade immediately next to it removes the setback problem entirely, which is why some urban beekeepers use raised platforms near a property line. The second is screening, a hive sited lower than 8 feet above adjacent grade can still sit within 25 feet of a line if it's shielded by a solid fence or hedge at least 6 feet high, running parallel to the lot line, and extending at least 20 feet beyond the hive in both directions, so the barrier has to be substantially longer than the hive itself.

The rule is built around flight-path management, forcing bees up and over neighboring yards rather than across them at head height, rather than a blanket distance ban.