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Santa Barbara County Beekeeping Regulations

Local beekeeping rules for Santa Barbara County and 8 cities: setback distances, hive limits, registration, and a link to each current municipal code.

Read this first. This is a convenience summary compiled from public municipal codes as of 2020. Rules change — this is not legal advice. Always confirm with your city or county and the official code before keeping bees.
Statewide, California requires apiary registration with your county agricultural commissioner (register at BeeWhere: https://beewhere.calagpermits.org/). Local city/county rules below are in addition to state law.

Santa Barbara

county
300 ft
from road
300 ft
from property line
600 ft
from buildings

See county ordinances for complete additional regulations such as water supply, transportation, and fire safety.

Code: Article V. - Beekeeping · Sec. 7-36. - Notice of violation of article
Last verified: 2020 — confirm at the source.
Check the current regulation → Check the current regulation →

Buellton

city
25 ft
from buildings
1
hive limit

Must not be kept for commercial purposes. The keeping of such small animals is not injurious to the health, safety, or welfare of the neighborhood and does not create offensive noise or odor as determined by the planning director after advice from the county health department and/or county animal control,

Code: 19.06.020 Animal raising and keeping. (E)
Last verified: 2020 — confirm at the source.
Check the current regulation →

Carpinteria

city

Defined as Agriculture.

Code: 14.08.025 - Agriculture.
Last verified: 2020 — confirm at the source.
Check the current regulation →

Goleta

city No local ordinance

In the City of Goleta, there are no municipal codes set in place for the ownership of apiaries.

Last verified: 2020 — confirm at the source.
Check the current regulation →

Guadalupe

city No local ordinance

In the City of Guadalupe, there are no municipal codes set in place for the ownership of apiaries.

Last verified: 2020 — confirm at the source.
Check the current regulation →

Lompoc

city
600 ft
from buildings

No person shall keep any hive of bees within 600 feet of any residence (not including the residence of the beekeeper), hospital, school, church, office building, store, hotel, apartment house, or any other place of habitation. This Section shall not apply to the keeping of bees within an educational institution for study or observation, or within a physician’s office or laboratory for medical research, treatment, or other scientific purposes, provided they are not permitted to fly at large

Code: 6.04.110 Keeping of Bees.
Last verified: 2020 — confirm at the source.
Check the current regulation →

Santa Barbara

city Registration req.
20 ft
from road

Registration required. No more than four hives shall be maintained on lots having less than 10,000 square feet in area. On lots larger than 10,000 square feet, no more than one hive shall be maintained for each 5,000 square feet of additional lot area. See municipal code for further regulations.

Code: Chapter 6.28 BEES
Last verified: 2020 — confirm at the source.
Check the current regulation →

Santa Maria

city

Must comly with state provisions. No person shall keep bees for a commercial purpose. Must not constitue a nuisance.

Code: Article 7. Beekeeping
Last verified: 2020 — confirm at the source.
Check the current regulation →

Solvang

city No local ordinance

In the City of Solvang, there are no municipal codes set in place for the ownership of apiaries.

Last verified: 2020 — confirm at the source.
⚠ 2020 link dead — search current regulation →
Compiled from public municipal codes, originally referenced by the California Master Beekeeper Program (2020) and re-presented for easier lookup. Verify every rule against the linked official code before keeping bees. Not legal advice.

Other counties: Alameda · Alpine · Amador · Butte · Calaveras · Colusa · Contra Costa · Del Norte · see all 58 →