Maine state law: bee inspection and registration (7 MRS Chapter 740)

Maine regulates honey bee colonies through 7 MRS Chapter 740 (Bee Inspection), administered by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) Apiary Program. The statute establishes statewide bee inspection authority, registration requirements for apiaries with movable combs, disease-control measures (notably American Foulbrood), and certificate requirements for the interstate movement of bees. The state framework does NOT set residential-zoning rules for how many hives an urban or suburban beekeeper may keep, hive density per acre, setback from property lines, flyway-barrier requirements, or water-source requirements. Zoning of backyard beekeeping is set by municipal ordinance under 30-A MRS § 3001 home-rule authority. Beekeepers should register their apiary with DACF Bee Inspection and consult the local code for any residential beekeeping zoning rule — Portland permits beekeeping in residential zones with hive-setback rules; many smaller Maine towns have no specific ordinance and treat beekeeping as a permitted accessory use.

Failure to register apiaries or to comply with DACF disease-control orders is enforceable under 7 MRS Chapter 740 — civil penalties and quarantine/destruction of infected colonies. Municipal hive-setback violations are typical civil infractions with fines of $50-$250 plus required relocation of the hive.