Stockton Municipal Code Title 6 (Animals) does not contain a stand-alone beekeeping prohibition; backyard beekeeping is allowed subject to general nuisance and zoning rules. Under California Food & Agricultural Code §29040 every owner or person in possession of an apiary in California must register with the county agricultural commissioner by January 1 each year (or within 30 days thereafter) and report colony counts and locations.
Stockton's Title 6 chapters identified through Animal Services (6.04 Animal Services, including §§6.04.090 licensing, 6.04.130 animals at large, 6.04.310 burial of dead animals, 6.04.390/400 number-of-pets, 6.04.440 prohibited livestock) do not list a city-specific bee ordinance. Hives are governed by general nuisance principles (SMC Title 8 Health and Safety, Ch. 8.20 Noise) and by Title 16 Development Code standards for residential uses. Statewide, California Food & Agricultural Code §29040 (as amended by AB 719 effective Jan 1, 2023) requires: 'Every person that is the owner, broker, or is in possession of an apiary that is located within the state, on the first day of January of each year, shall register the number of colonies …' with the county agricultural commissioner — in Stockton's case the San Joaquin County Agricultural Commissioner. The statute applies to any number of hives, including hobbyist keepers.
Failure to register an apiary under FAC §29040 is a violation of the Food & Agricultural Code enforceable by the county agricultural commissioner; civil penalties apply. Nuisance hives that swarm into neighboring property, sting people or animals, or otherwise unreasonably interfere with neighboring use can be abated under SMC Title 8 nuisance provisions and California Civil Code §3479 (general private-nuisance statute).
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