Honolulu County, HI Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

5(b) is Honolulu's blueprint for keeping honeybees without creating an animal nuisance, and it works through three layered requirements. The first is a hard cap: no more than eight honeybee hives per zoning lot, regardless of the lot's size. The second governs equipment. Colonies must be maintained in movable-frame hives constructed to meet the specifications for beehives set by the American Beekeepers Federation, which rules out fixed-comb boxes and improvised containers, and hives must be shaded from neighboring night lighting. The third governs placement. A hive may not be located within 25 feet of any property line, public street, sidewalk, or alley, which pushes colonies toward the interior of the lot and away from passersby and adjoining yards.

5(b)(3). One is screening: a solid fence or hedge at least 6 feet high that extends 15 feet beyond the hive, which forces bees up and over head height as they leave the lot. The other is elevation: hives raised 8 feet or more above the ground, which keeps flight paths above the people below. Either measure substitutes for the setback; without one of them, the 25-foot distance is mandatory.