Spring Hill, FL Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Florida's beekeeping framework is one of the most preemption-heavy in the country, and Spring Hill residents benefit from it directly because Hernando County has not attempted to layer additional local rules. Florida Statute Chapter 586 (Honey - Honey Bees) provides the operative rules. FS 586.04 ('Registration of beekeepers') requires every person who owns or possesses honey bee colonies in Florida - even a single hive - to register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Bureau of Plant and Apiary Inspection within 30 days of acquiring the colony, to pay a tiered annual registration fee (starting around $10 for 1-5 hives), and to renew the registration annually. Registration enables the State Apiarist to inspect for American foulbrood, small hive beetle, and other regulated diseases, and to notify beekeepers of mosquito-spray applications. FS 586.10 ('Inspection of bees, hives, and apiaries; identification; restriction of movement; powers of department') and the FDACS-adopted Rule 5B-54.0105 F.A.C. ('Beekeeper Compliance Agreement / Best Management Requirements for Maintaining European Honey Bee Colonies') together preempt most local regulation of honey bee colonies that meet the state Best Management Requirements (BMRs). The state BMRs include: (1) FDACS registration of all colonies; (2) maintenance of European honey bee stock (not Africanized hybrids - colonies that test positive must be requeened or destroyed) - Africanized bees are established throughout central Florida including Hernando County, so requeening with documented gentle stock is genuinely important; (3) flyway barriers at least six feet high if the colony is within 15 feet of a property line, with the barrier extending at least 10 feet on either side of the colony; (4) a continuous water source within close proximity to the apiary to prevent foragers from visiting neighbor swimming pools; (5) reasonable colony density limits by lot size (the FDACS table allows 3 colonies on lots under 1/4 acre, 6 on lots 1/4 to 1/2 acre, 10 on lots 1/2 to 1 acre, and progressively more on larger lots). Hernando County may NOT prohibit beekeeping that complies with the state framework, and HCSO Animal Services / County Code Enforcement should refer beekeeping inquiries to FDACS rather than enforcing as a local matter. The local resource for hobbyists is the Tampa Bay Beekeepers Association and the UF/IFAS Extension Hernando County office in Brooksville. HOA covenants and individual deed restrictions in some Spring Hill subdivisions may further restrict or prohibit beekeeping as a matter of private contract, independent of state preemption.