Redlands Municipal Code Ch. 6.20 Bees

For the purpose of this chapter, certain terms used herein are defined as follows:

APIARY: Includes bees, comb, hives, appliances or colonies wherever the same are kept, located or found.

APPLIANCE: Any implement or other device used in handling and manipulating bees or their brood, or containers thereof.

BEES: Honey producing insects of the species Apis mellifica and includes the adults, eggs, larvae, pupae or other immature stages thereof, together with such materials as are deposited into hives by their adults, except honey and rendered beeswax.

COLONY: One hive and its contents, including bees, comb and appliances.

COMB: Includes all materials normally deposited into hives by bees except extracted honey or royal jelly, trapped pollen, and processed beeswax.

HIVE: Any receptacle or container, or part thereof, made or prepared for the use of bees or inhabited by bees.

LOCATION: Any premises upon which an apiary is located. (Prior code § 56201)

It is unlawful for any person within the city to keep or have control of any stands of bees within the city without first obtaining a permit to do so as outlined in section 6.24.010 of this title and subject to such conditions as may be from time to time imposed by animal control. (Ord. 2392 § 21, 1998: prior code § 56200)

A. All apiaries owned and kept within the city shall be kept and located at a place at least one hundred feet (100') from all public roads (traveled portion) unless there are natural barriers to prevent bees from causing a nuisance or hazard to persons using the road.

B. All apiaries owned and kept within the city shall be kept and located at a place at least six hundred feet (600') distant from the nearest house or building inhabited as a dwelling and shall not be kept and maintained at a lesser distance thereto unless the owner of such apiary first procures permission from the occupant or person using such building or house as a dwelling so to do.

C. All apiaries owned and kept within the city shall be arranged behind barriers (natural or otherwise) near schoolyards or places where people congregate to cause bees to fly at a high altitude over such schoolyard or place where people congregate.

D. No apiary shall be kept or located upon the lands of another without the owner or the person in possession of such apiary first procuring permission of the owner of such lands to place such apiary thereon. (Prior code § 56202)

No apiary shall be located within the city before March 15 and not later than May 20 of any year. (Prior code § 56203)

Subsection 6.20.030B and section 6.20.040 of this chapter shall not apply to apiaries of ten (10) colonies or less providing they do not become a public nuisance. (Prior code § 56204)

An adequate water supply must be furnished and kept available to all apiaries at all times. Such water supply must be available before or at the time such apiaries are placed within the city, unless there is a stream or reservoir closer than any other source. (Prior code § 56205)

Every person owning an apiary located on premises other than where he resides shall identify such apiary by a sign prominently displayed on the entrance side of the apiary stating in black letters the name of the owner or person in possession of the apiary, his address and telephone number or if he has no telephone, a message telephone number. (Ord. 2392 § 22, 1998: prior code § 56206)

Any person who violates any provision of this chapter may be served with a written notice to cease or remedy such violation by any law enforcement officer of the county. The notice shall require that such person cease or remedy the violation within forty eight (48) hours. Any person who fails to cease or remedy the violation within such forty eight (48) hour period is guilty of a misdemeanor. The notice required by this section shall be served personally on such person, or, if he cannot be readily found, shall be served by mail (return receipt requested) or, if he cannot be served by mail, then service shall be accomplished by posting such notice on a conspicuous place on or near the apiary where the violation occurred. The forty eight (48) hour period for which such notice provides shall commence to run from the time on the day such notice is served pursuant to this section. (Prior code § 56207)