Ventura, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Municipal Code § 8.50.050
- Rule
- All beekeeping prohibited citywide
- Only exception
- Bees inside a school or laboratory
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under Ch. 1.150 (§ 8.50.070)
- Nuisance status
- Violation deemed a public nuisance, injunctive relief available
Summary
The City of Ventura prohibits beekeeping outright. Municipal Code Section 8.50.050 makes it unlawful for anyone to have, keep, maintain or possess any bees on any premises in the city, with a single narrow exception for bees kept inside a school or laboratory for educational or scientific purposes.
No person shall have, keep, maintain, or have in their possession or under their control any bees in or upon any premises except when kept within a school or laboratory for educational or scientific purposes.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-008, passed May 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
50, Animals, states the rule as a flat prohibition rather than a permit or setback system: no person shall have, keep, maintain, or have in their possession or under their control any bees in or upon any premises, except when kept within a school or laboratory for educational or scientific purposes. The exception is narrow and location-based, covering only bees confined within a school or laboratory building for teaching or research, not backyard hives, however small, and not commercial apiaries on agriculturally zoned land. This differs from many California cities that instead cap hive counts or set property-line setbacks; Ventura's own code contains no such permit path, so a resident cannot obtain a hive permit from Community Development or Ventura County Animal Services to keep bees at a home address. 050 applies without a zoning carve-out for those agricultural areas, since the animal chapter's ban is not conditioned on zoning district. 50 violation.
Violations & Fines
Keeping bees anywhere in Ventura outside a school or laboratory violates Section 8.50.050 and is a misdemeanor under Chapter 1.150 pursuant to Section 8.50.070, which also deems the violation a public nuisance subject to injunctive relief. Each violation is treated separately, and a violator can be ordered to pay the city's abatement and investigation costs and attorney's fees on top of any criminal penalty, with the city free to pursue any additional remedy available under state law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep a backyard beehive in Ventura?
Does the ban apply on agriculturally zoned land in Ventura?
What is the penalty for keeping bees in Ventura?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura
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Beekeeping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle beekeeping.