Chapter 6.06
KEEPING BEES
Sections:
6.06.020 Conditions for hobby beekeeping.
6.06.030 Violations – Penalty.
6.06.010 Definitions.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter:
A. “Apiary” means a site where hives of bees or hives are kept or found.
B. “Apiarist” means any person who owns bees or is a keeper of bees in Washington.
C. “Bees” means adult insects, eggs, larvae, pupae, or other immature stages of the species Apis mellifera.
D. “Colony” means a natural group of bees having a queen or queens.
E. “Department” means the Department of Agriculture of the state of Washington.
F. “Director” means the Director of the Department or the Director’s authorized representative.
G. “Hive” means a manufactured receptacle or container prepared for the use of bees, that includes movable frames, combs, and substances deposited into the hive by bees.
H. “Person” means a natural person, individual, firm, partnership, company, society, association, corporation or every officer, agent, or employee of one of these entities. (Ord. C-929 § 1, 2019; Ord. C-669 § 47, 2008)
6.06.020 Conditions for hobby beekeeping.
An apiarist may keep bees in residential areas of the City of Airway Heights, Washington, subject to the following conditions:
A. The number of hives shall be limited to one hive per 4,356 gross square feet of lot area.
B. Hives shall be set back a minimum of five feet from any side or rear property line and 20 feet from the front property line.
C. A flyaway barrier shall be provided that is at least six feet high and consists of a solid wall, solid fencing materials, dense vegetation, or some combination thereof, that is parallel to the side or rear property lines and extends beyond the hives in both directions, to ensure bees are forced to fly at an elevation of at least six feet above ground level over the property lines in the vicinity of the hives.
D. Apiarists shall maintain an adequate supply of water for bees located close to the hives.
E. The apiarist shall be certified by the Washington State Beekeeper’s Association, and must be registered with the Director by April 1st of each year. (Ord. C-929 § 2, 2019)
6.06.030 Violations – Penalty.
Violators of the provisions of this chapter are guilty of the following, pursuant to RCW 15.60.055:
A. Except as provided in subsection (B) of this section, a person who violates or fails to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter, Chapter 15.60 RCW or any rule adopted thereunder is guilty of a misdemeanor.
B. A second or subsequent violation is a gross misdemeanor.
Whenever a person has committed a violation of Chapter 15.60 RCW or of this chapter and that violation has not been punished as a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor, a civil penalty not exceeding $1,000 may be imposed on that person for each violation. Each violation shall be a separate and distinct offense. A person who knowingly, through an act or omission or commission, procures or aids or abets in the violation shall be considered to have violated this chapter and may be subject to the civil penalty. (Ord. C-929 § 3, 2019)