Beekeeping License
If you want to keep a bee hive on your property, you must get a honeybee license annually. Get your license before April 1 of each year, or within 30 days of acquiring honeybees, to avoid fines and late fees.
Follow these steps:
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Notify others that you will be keeping honeybees on the property
If you plan to keep honeybees in the City of Madison, please talk to your neighbors ahead of time. When you do, explain the behavior and benefits of beekeeping. By following best practices, you can avoid creating problems for your neighbors. With planning, you can have beehives near homes, gardens, and other recreational places.
You are responsible for monitoring your bees on a regular basis. Regular monitoring helps keep the hive healthy. It also helps make sure you are not creating a nuisance for others. Limit your beekeeping activities to times of day that will not hinder your neighbors' use of their property.
If the property has multiple units, notify the owner and all the residents of the property.
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Complete the Honeybee License Application and submit it to the City Treasurer's Office
Include the License Fee of $10 and submit the completed application to:
City Treasurer's Office
Room 101, City-County Building
210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Madison, WI 53703-3342If you have questions about the application, call 608-266-4771.
Regulations for Keeping Honeybees
- The owner, operator, or tenant shall obtain a license
- Except as provided, no more than six (6) hives may be located on a zoning lot.
- No hive shall exceed twenty (20) cubic feet in volume.
- No hive shall be located closer than three (3) feet from any property line.
- No hive shall be located closer than ten (10) feet from a public sidewalk or twenty-five (25) feet from a principal building on an adjoining lot.
- A constant supply of water shall be provided for all hives.
- A flyway barrier at least six (6) feet in height shall shield any part of a property line that is within twenty-five (25) feet of a hive. The flyway barrier must be a wall, fence, dense vegetation, or a combination thereof. It shall be placed to transect both legs of a triangle. It must extend from an apex at the hive to each endpoint of the part of the property line to be shielded.
- The applicant for the license shall notify all residents of the property. If not the owner, the applicant will also notify the owner or operator of the property. Notification is not required for license renewal.
- In the Employment and Special Use Districts, no more than six (6) hives may be located on a lot unless a principal use on the lot is for the keeping of honeybees.
- The Treasurer or other authorized individual shall collect the $10 application fee and shall assess and collect a late fee of $5 if the owner of honeybees fails to obtain a license prior to April 1 of each year, or fails to obtain a license within 30 days of acquiring the honeybees.
- The Zoning Administrator may revoke a honeybee license if there are 3 or more violations within any 6-month period