Whittier, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- WMC § 8.20.010
- Rule
- Beekeeping is completely prohibited citywide
- Exceptions
- None written into the code
- Origin
- Derived from prior code § 4260.72
- Penalty
- Up to $500 fine or 6 months jail
Summary
Whittier bans beekeeping outright. Municipal Code Section 8.20.010, the entirety of Chapter 8.20, states that no person shall keep, own or control bees in hives or otherwise anywhere in the city, with no residential-zone carve-out, hobbyist registration or commercial apiary permit written into the code to soften that prohibition.
No person shall keep, own or control bees in hives or otherwise in the city.
Full Breakdown
72 of the city's prior code, so the ban is not a recent addition; it predates the 1984 codification of the current Municipal Code and has never been narrowed to exempt small residential hobby hives, native pollinator gardens, or commercial apiary operations. Unlike many neighboring Southern California cities that regulate beekeeping through hive-count limits, setback distances from property lines, or a registration requirement with the county agricultural commissioner, Whittier's code contains no such permit pathway at all: keeping bees in a hive, or controlling bees by any other means, anywhere within city limits, is simply not allowed.
010, which the city attorney or code enforcement staff can charge as a misdemeanor or, at the prosecutor's election, as an infraction. 16, reflecting an older regulatory style that favors outright prohibition over conditional permitting for uses the council has found incompatible with a dense residential city.
Violations & Fines
Because Chapter 8.20 has no penalty section of its own, keeping bees in the city is prosecuted under the general penalty rule in Section 1.08.010: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine, six months in jail, or both, or an infraction starting at $100 for a first offense and rising to $500 for a third violation within a year, with each day of the violation counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep a hobby beehive in my backyard in Whittier?
Is there a permit I can get to keep bees legally in Whittier?
What's the penalty for keeping bees in Whittier?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Whittier
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Beekeeping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle beekeeping.