Waukesha, WI Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

04 requires anyone keeping honey bee colonies or hives in the City to hold a permit issued by the Department of Community Development, with a separate permit needed for each location; permits are non-transferable between people or addresses. Applicants must submit their contact information, the hive location, a drawing showing hive placement and any flyway barriers, and proof of completing a beekeeping course, along with the Department's posted fee. Permits run two years and can be renewed, but renewal can be denied if the beekeeper violated the section or refused an inspection; the Department may inspect hives at least once a year on reasonable notice.

Hives must sit only in rear yards, never front or side yards, and must be at least 10 feet from any property boundary unless the adjacent owner gives written permission for a closer placement, submitted with the application. Hive counts scale with parcel size: two hives on a quarter acre or less, four hives up to a half acre, six hives up to one acre, and eight hives above one acre, with no numeric limit at all if every hive sits at least 200 feet from every boundary line.

Colonies must be honey bees in manufactured Langstroth-type hives with removable frames, queens must come from gentle, non-swarming European stock, and a colony showing repeated aggressive behavior must be re-queened or removed. Beekeepers must also comply with Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection apiary inspection rules and pay any state inspection costs. For zoning purposes, compliant beekeeping is deemed not an agricultural use, which keeps it available on residential lots.