Beekeeping in Wake County is governed primarily by North Carolina state law, not by Wake County. NCGS Chapter 106, Article 55 (Bees and Honey) is administered by the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Plant Industry Division Apiary Services program. NC does not require every hobby beekeeper to register, but the NCDA&CS offers a free Apiary Registration Form so inspectors can coordinate disease inspections and notify beekeepers of nearby pesticide spraying. Anyone who sells bees in NC must obtain a state permit ($25) under Β§ 106-639.1, and hives must be kept in movable-frame, inspectable condition under Β§ 106-641.
Bee colonies in Wake County are regulated at the state level by NCGS Chapter 106, Article 55 ("Bees and Honey," Β§Β§ 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 Β§ 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.
NCDA&CS Apiary inspectors may inspect colonies for disease and, under Β§ 106-641, may order destruction of diseased hives that cannot be brought into compliance. Selling bees without a Β§ 106-639.1 permit is a violation of the Bees and Honey Act subject to civil penalty under NCGS 106-650. Keeping bees in unmovable (fixed-comb) hives that cannot be inspected is also prohibited.
Wake County, NC
Wake County Code Chapter 92 directly regulates amplified music. Section 92.02 defines a "sound-magnifying device" to include any amplifier, stereo, speaker, ...
Wake County, NC
Wake County, NC has no leaf-blower-specific ordinance. Under Code Β§ 92.04 (Chapter 92 β Noise), "lawn care equipment and agricultural activities" are exempt ...
Wake County, NC
Wake County Code Sec. 91.08(B)(4) makes it unlawful to allow an animal to bark, whine, howl or yowl in an excessive, continuous or untimely fashion that seri...
Wake County, NC
Wake County Code Sec. 92.05 prohibits plainly audible unreasonable construction noise in residential or business districts during nighttime hours (11:00 p.m....
Wake County, NC
Wake County Code Sec. 92.03 makes it unlawful to cause or allow unreasonable noise in unincorporated Wake County. Daytime hours run 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. a...
Wake County, NC
North Carolina counties do not have express statutory authority to regulate driveway connections directly, so Wake County itself does not issue residential d...
See how Wake County's beekeeping rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.