Stonecrest, GA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Under Sec. 4.2.7(J) of the Stonecrest Zoning Ordinance, beekeeping is an accessory agricultural use governed by density, placement and nuisance standards rather than a permit process. The colony count is tied to lot size: no more than two apiary colonies are allowed per quarter-acre of land, so a half-acre lot supports up to four colonies. Every colony must be set back at least ten feet from all property lines, and where the lot already has a principal building, hives must be placed in the side or rear yard rather than the front.

Beekeepers are also required to actively manage their colonies with adequate space and swarm-prevention techniques to keep them from overcrowding. The ordinance builds in a direct enforcement mechanism for neighbor complaints: if a colony becomes a nuisance, the beekeeper is required to re-queen the hive, a beekeeping-specific remedy aimed at replacing an aggressive queen rather than simply ordering removal outright. Because this section sits in Article 4 (Use Regulations) of Chapter 27, the Zoning Ordinance, the Planning and Zoning/Community Development Department administers it alongside other agricultural accessory uses like chicken-keeping and livestock, and code enforcement can act on the same nuisance standard applied to other animal-keeping violations in the city.