Shelby County's animal Code Chapter 4 covers only dogs, cats, and livestock and contains no beekeeping or hive provisions. Whether beehives are allowed on an unincorporated parcel is a zoning question under the joint Memphis and Shelby County zoning code, and beekeeping is otherwise regulated at the Tennessee state level.
Chapter 4 does not address bees, hives, or apiaries; its scope is dogs and cats (Article II), livestock running at large (Article IV), and humane care (Article V). There is no county apiary permit or hive-count limit in the animal Code. In the unincorporated county, whether you may site beehives turns on the parcel's zoning district under the joint Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code, with agricultural and larger-lot residential districts generally most permissive. Bees are also regulated by the state: the Tennessee Apiary Act, administered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, governs registration and inspection of colonies for disease control. Beekeepers should confirm zoning and comply with state apiary registration.
Because the animal Code is silent on bees, hive disputes are handled as zoning matters by county planning and development, not animal control. Failing to register colonies under the Tennessee Apiary Act can bring state Department of Agriculture enforcement.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting is allowed in Shelby County and has no dedicated permit, but compost and organic material must be managed so it does not become harmful v...
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Shelby County has no ordinance banning or specially permitting artificial turf. Synthetic turf is not counted as living landscaping under the Unified Develop...
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The Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code favors native landscaping, directing that trees and shrubs be predominately hardy Tennessee native spe...
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Shelby County has no ordinance prohibiting or specially licensing residential rainwater harvesting. Rain barrels and cisterns are generally allowed, and Tenn...
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Shelby County has no mandatory outdoor watering schedule. Water is supplied by Memphis Light, Gas and Water from the Memphis Sand Aquifer, and MLGW promotes ...
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The Code of Shelby County authorizes the county to compel owners of unincorporated property to cut rank weeds, grasses, and underbrush deemed a health or tra...
See how Shelby County's beekeeping rules stack up against other locations.
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