Temecula, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

California Food & Agricultural Code §§29001-29133 establishes the state framework for beekeeping (apiary regulation). Anyone keeping bees must register their apiary annually with the Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner and identify hive locations. Local zoning under Temecula Municipal Code Title 17 controls where beekeeping is permitted. On standard residential lots (LM, M, H zones) and within HOA-governed master-planned communities, beekeeping is generally not permitted as an accessory use. On Hillside Residential, Very Low Density, and rural Wine Country/Equestrian parcels (often under Riverside County jurisdiction in unincorporated pockets), beekeeping is allowed subject to setback requirements — typically hives must be at least 25 feet from property lines, 100+ feet from neighboring dwellings, and have a 6-foot solid fence or vegetative barrier between the hive and adjacent properties to direct flight paths upward. A water source must be provided on-site to keep bees from neighbors' pools and sprinklers. Beekeepers are responsible for ensuring bees do not become a nuisance and must use gentle, non-aggressive bee strains. Africanized honey bee swarms in Riverside County are a known concern and should be reported to Vector Control immediately rather than approached.