Wake County, NC Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Bee colonies in Wake County are regulated at the state level by NCGS Chapter 106, Article 55 ("Bees and Honey," §§ 106-635 through 106-650). The statute is administered by the NCDA&CS Plant Industry Division through its Apiary Services program (Apiary Inspection Supervisor Don Hopkins, 919-218-3310, Don.Hopkins@ncagr.gov). Wake County government itself does not have a separate countywide beekeeping ordinance.

North Carolina does not require every hobby beekeeper to register with the state. However, the NCDA&CS makes an Apiary Registration Form available at no cost so that state inspectors can find apiaries for disease inspections and so the NC Apiary Notification system can alert beekeepers within one mile of upcoming aerial pesticide applications carrying bee-toxic warning labels.

One registration is mandatory: under § 106-639.1, any person who sells bees in North Carolina must obtain a permit from the Commissioner of Agriculture. The application fee is $25 and annual renewal is $25. The statute exempts hobbyist sales of fewer than 10 hives per year, one-time liquidation sales of fewer than 50 hives, and bee rentals for pollination. Section 106-641 also requires that all bees in NC be kept in movable-frame hives and maintained in inspectable condition; providing false information to the Commissioner about diseased bees is prohibited.

Because Wake County is heavily municipalized (Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Garner, Knightdale, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Morrisville, Wake Forest, Wendell, Zebulon, Rolesville), beekeepers should also check their city or town zoning code for any local hive-placement, setback, or numerical-limit rules. In purely unincorporated Wake County, the state-law framework above is the governing law.