Tonawanda, NY Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Article 20 of the Zoning Law establishes the Town of Tonawanda's three residential districts under Section 215-20.1: R-1 (single-family), R-2 (two-family) and MR (mixed residential). Table 20-a, the use table adopted under Section 215-20.4, governs what activities are allowed on residential lots. It lists "Keeping of animals" as a row and marks every one of the three residential columns with a dash. Section 215-20.4(C) states that any use "not listed" and any use "identified with a '-'" is "expressly prohibited," so the Town Board has written a flat, zone-wide ban rather than a conditional or permitted use subject to standards.

A footnote to the table spells out precisely what counts: the breeding, raising or keeping of bees, fowl, farm animals, exotic animals, pigeons, reptiles, or more than three dogs on one property. Because bees are named specifically, a resident cannot register hives, apply for a special use permit, or otherwise bring backyard beekeeping into compliance under the residential-district rules; the Zoning Law simply does not create a path for it in R-1, R-2 or MR. A property owner who wants to keep bees would need land zoned outside these three residential districts, or would need to seek a use variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Town's Code Enforcement Officer, designated under Chapter 54, enforces this use table alongside the rest of the Zoning Law.