Surprise, AZ Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

4, Agricultural Animal Keeping, addresses beekeeping directly in subsection C, which permits apiaries provided the structures containing the hives shall not be located closer than eighty feet to any dwelling, property line or right-of-way. The same eighty-foot figure also appears in Sec. 3(I), the accessory-structure section, which similarly conditions apiaries on keeping hives at least eighty feet from any dwelling, lot line, or right-of-way; the two sections work together to fix the setback regardless of whether the hives are treated as an accessory structure or as agricultural animal keeping.

Because the measurement runs to the nearest dwelling, lot line, or right-of-way, a beekeeper on a standard suburban lot will typically need a large, un-built rear or side yard, or a lot backing onto open space, before hives can be sited far enough from every boundary to comply. 4 also folds beekeeping into the city's broader agricultural animal keeping framework: subsection A sends commercial production, boarding, or breeding of agricultural animals to the standards in Sec. 5, while subsection B routes non-commercial or personal keeping of agricultural animals to Chapter 10 of the Surprise City Code.

Subsection D bars shows or other activities that would generate more traffic than is normal for a single-family area unless the site has direct access to an arterial or collector street, though occasional shows may proceed with a temporary use permit and demonstrated parking.