There is a growing interest in keeping bees within the urban environment. Doing so contributes to maintaining bee populations and engaging in stewardship of the environment. Urban beekeeping can improve pollination of plants in yards and parks within the urban environment leading to improved vegetable and flower gardens. The City recently adopted new regulations to permit urban beekeeping in some residential areas. With good management practices, beekeeping is completely safe in residential areas.
Steps to Becoming an Urban Beekeeper
If you are interested in keeping bees in your yard, there are two steps you need to follow:
- Review the City’s Animal Control Bylaw and Zoning Bylaw for Beekeeping regulations.
- Register your beehive with the Province of BC.
Review beekeeping regulations
- Before you decide to keep bees, rareas must comply with the City’s regulations.
- A maximum of 2 beehives and 2 nucleus colonies may be kept on one property
- The property must be at least 14 metres wide
- Beehives and nucleus colonies must be kept in the rear yard, which must be enclosed by a minimum 2 metres high solid fence or landscape screen
- Beehives and nucleus colonies must be setback a minimum of 2 metres from the rear lot line and cannot be located in a side yard
- The property must be registered with the Provincial Apiary Registry
- An adequate water source must be provided on the property for the bees
- Bee colonies must be maintained in a condition to prevent swarming, and
- Measures must be taken to keep beehives inaccessible to wildlife
- A beehive or nucleus colony within a permitted institutional zone must not be located within 2m of any lot line or children’s play area and must be enclosed with a solid fence or landscape screen at least 2m high.
Beekeeping is permitted in the following zones:
Beekeeping is permitted as an agricultural use in the City’s A and RS3 zones. Beekeeping is also permitted as an accessory use in four residential zones: RS1, RS2, RS4, and RD and three institutional zones: P1, P2, and P3. Properties within these zones must have a minimum lot width of 14 metres in order to accommodate bee hives.
Agricultural use
- A – Agriculture zone
- RS3 – large lot residential zone
Accessory hobby beekeeping
- RS1 – residential single dwelling 1
- RS2 – residential single dwelling 2
- RS4 – residential single dwelling 4
- RD – residential duplex
- P1 Civic Institutional
- P2 Institutional
- P3 Parks and Natural Areas
Register your beehive with the Province of BC
Once you set up your beehives, you must register them with the Province of BC: