Yolo County, CA Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

California treats beekeeping as a registered agricultural activity rather than a category subject to detailed local apiary ordinances. Under Food & Agricultural Code Sec. 29040, every person owning or in possession of one or more apiaries must register that apiary with the Agricultural Commissioner of each county where the apiary is located, by January 1 of each year or within 30 days of receiving the bees, and pay the registration fee. Registration is handled through the statewide BeeWhere system administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the California Association of County Agricultural Commissioners. In Yolo County, registration is filed with the Yolo County Department of Agriculture (Office of the Agricultural Commissioner). Beekeeping is allowed by right in the A-1, A-N, and other agricultural zones under Sec. 8-2.304. On residential parcels, beekeeping is not separately prohibited but is subject to the general performance standards and nuisance rules in the County Code - hives should be set back from property lines, screened with vegetation or a flyway barrier where appropriate, and managed to avoid swarming and aggression. Apiary registration also enables the County Agricultural Commissioner to notify beekeepers before nearby pesticide applications, protecting hives during pollination season.