St. Charles County, MO Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Ag District min lot
- 5 acres (§405.080)
- Ag Tourism District min lot
- 40 acres (§405.085)
- Residential districts
- No apiary use listed (§405.090)
- Zoning violation penalty
- Up to $500/day or 6 months jail
Summary
Backyard beekeeping isn't a listed use in St. Charles County's single-family residential districts. Apiaries appear as a permissive use only in the county's "A" Agricultural and "AT" Agricultural Tourism zoning districts under the Unified Development Ordinance.
B. Permissive Uses. 1. Except in platted subdivisions, agriculture, farming, dairy farming, livestock and poultry raising... 2. Apiaries, aviaries, fish hatcheries, and fur farming or the raising of fur-bearing animals.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4863880; v61 updated 2026-05-11; through 05-11-2026).
Full Breakdown
The Unified Development Ordinance lists apiaries as a permissive use only in the "A" Agricultural District (Section 405.080(B)(2), five-acre minimum lot) and the "AT" Agricultural Tourism District (Section 405.085(B)(2), forty-acre minimum). The RR, R1A, R1B, R1C, R1D and R1E single-family residential districts' permissive and accessory use list in Section 405.090 never mentions apiaries or bees: only "the raising and keeping of pets on a non-commercial basis." A parcel zoned for ordinary single-family use has no listed right to keep hives; it needs Agricultural or Agricultural Tourism zoning, or relief from the Board of Zoning Adjustment.
Violations & Fines
Keeping hives on land zoned RR through R1E without approval is an unlisted, unpermitted land use: a misdemeanor under Section 405.650, punishable by up to $500 per day or six months in jail under Section 405.655.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep bees on a typical subdivision lot in St. Charles County?
What if my property isn't zoned Agricultural?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Charles County
Compare St. Charles County to another location·View the Missouri animal ordinances overview
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