Fairfax City to Allow Residential Beekeeping

How would you feel if your neighbors were beekeepers?

The Fairfax City Council is expected to adopt amendments to the City Code Tuesday night that will allow residents to keep honeybees on their properties, provided they pay a moderate fee to acquire a permit and follow the City's regulations.

According to City documents, the issue was first brought up back in September of last year, and the City staff, Planning Commission and Council have been fine-tuning the amendment over the past nine months since then.

Previously, it appears the practice was not allowed because, according to City Code, bees was lumped into the same category as agricultural animals, which are not allowed to be kept on residential properties unless they are at least 100 feet away from property lines, which makes it impossible for all but a few of the largest properties in the city.

Under the amendment the Council will vote on Tuesday night, the City Code will be changed to make bee hives and other containments considered "accessory structures" - in other words, under the same classification as dog houses, detached garages, small storage sheds and the like - that are permitted on residential properties provided they comply with a short list of rules.

The City's proposed amendment, which the Planning Commission has already unanimously approved and will now go to the Council Tuesday, indicates the following rules for the practice, if the amendment passes:

• All honey bee colonies shall be kept in inspectable hives with removable combs, which shall be kept in sound and usable condition.
  
• A constant supply of fresh water shall be provided on the lot, within 20 feet of all hives. The water source shall be maintained so as not to become stagnant. 
  
• A flyway barrier at least six feet in height, but no greater than seven feet in height, shall be erected parallel to the property line between the hive opening and any property line located 10 feet or less therefrom. The flyway barrier shall consist of a wall, solid fence, dense vegetation, or a combination thereof, extending five feet beyond the hive in each direction. A flyway barrier of dense vegetation shall not be limited to seven feet in height provided that the initial planting is four feet in height and the vegetation normally reaches six feet in height or higher. Barriers shall be maintained in good condition so that all bees are forced to fly at an elevation of at least 6 feet above ground level. 
  
• The property owner, operator, or tenant that intends to engage in domestic beekeeping shall obtain a permit.
  

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