Shoreline, WA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Hive limit
- Four hives on lots under 20,000 sq ft
- Swarms per hive
- One swarm per hive
- Lot-line setback
- 25 feet (unless elevated or screened)
- Screening alternative
- 6-ft fence/hedge, 20 ft beyond hive
- State registration
- Required with WA Dept. of Agriculture
Summary
In the City of Shoreline, backyard beekeeping is capped at four hives with one swarm each on lots under 20,000 square feet under Shoreline Municipal Code § 20.40.240(F). Hives need a 25-foot setback from lot lines unless elevated or screened, and every beekeeper must register with the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
F. Beekeeping is limited as follows: 1. Beehives are limited to no more than four hives, each with only one swarm, on sites less than 20,000 square feet. 2. Hives shall not be located within 25 feet of any lot line except when situated eight feet or more above the grade immediately adjacent to the grade of the lot on which the hives are located or when situated less than eight feet above the adjacent existing lot grade and behind a solid fence or hedge six feet high parallel to any lot line within 25 feet of a hive and extending at least 20 feet beyond the hive in both directions. 3. Must register with the Washington State Department of Agriculture. 4. Must be maintained to avoid overpopulation and swarming.
Full Breakdown
Subsection F of § 20.40.240 governs residential apiaries citywide as part of the Development Code's animal-keeping standards. On sites smaller than 20,000 square feet, beehives are limited to no more than four, and each hive may hold only one swarm, preventing colony overcrowding on smaller residential lots. Placement is restricted by a 25-foot setback from any lot line, but the code offers two ways to site a hive closer: the hive can sit eight feet or more above the grade adjacent to it, or, if it sits lower than eight feet above grade, it can be placed behind a solid fence or hedge at least six feet high that runs parallel to the lot line within 25 feet of the hive and extends at least 20 feet beyond the hive in both directions, screening neighbors from the flight path.
Beekeepers must register their hives with the Washington State Department of Agriculture under subsection F(3), tying the local zoning rule to the state's apiary registration program, and must maintain hives to avoid overpopulation and swarming under subsection F(4). Beekeeping sits within the broader animal-keeping section, so it is also subject to the general odor, vector-control and containment standards in subsection K, and is exempt from the section's provisions only for service animals or temporary vegetation-management uses, neither of which applies to bees.
Violations & Fines
Keeping more than four hives on a lot under 20,000 square feet, siting a hive within 25 feet of a lot line without the required elevation or fence screening, or failing to register with the State Department of Agriculture, is a code violation. The Director can issue a notice and order under SMC § 20.30.760, with civil penalties starting at $500 for the first 14 days past the deadline and doubling every 14-day period after that under § 20.30.770(D).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many beehives can I keep at my Shoreline home?
How close to my property line can I place a hive?
Do I need to register my hives with the state?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shoreline
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Beekeeping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle beekeeping.