Sun Prairie, WI Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

140(28) defines keeping honey bees, Apis mellifera, as an accessory land use permitted as a special use in every district from the RH-35ac Rural Holding district through the HI Heavy Industrial district and planned developments. No more than four hives are allowed on a lot, and no hive can exceed twenty cubic feet in volume; hives must have removable frames kept in sound, usable condition. Placement is tightly controlled: no hive within five feet of a side or rear property line, none within fifteen feet of a public sidewalk, bike path or alley, and none within twenty-five feet of a principal building on an abutting lot.

Any part of a property line that falls within twenty-five feet of a hive needs a flyway barrier at least six feet tall, a wall, fence or dense vegetation positioned to force bees to fly up and over pedestrian and vehicle traffic rather than across it at head height. The code caps the entire program citywide: no more than ten special-use beekeeping permits may be approved and in effect in Sun Prairie at any given time, regardless of how many separate applications come in. 040, even though the underlying activity is allowed everywhere in the city once approved.