Understanding Oklahoma’s Apiary Laws
Hello, I’m Oklahoma City contract attorney Dillan Savage with Wirth Law Office, and I primarily practice in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area. Today, we’re going to talk about Oklahoma laws concerning honeybees—specifically, where you can and cannot establish, maintain, or create a honeybee apiary or hive.
Legal Protections for Honeybee Hives
In Oklahoma, the law strongly protects the right to maintain honeybee hives. In fact, state law makes it clear that local governments cannot prohibit or interfere with the establishment or maintenance of honeybee hives.
However, this protection does not eliminate zoning authority—local governments may still determine where apiaries can be located, but they cannot ban or unreasonably restrict them.
You can find this law in Title 2, Section 3-125, titled:
“Local Laws on Honey Bee Hives Not Authorized – Apiary Zoning Exception.”
Clarifications on Zoning Authority
Here’s a portion of the statute for reference:
No county, municipal corporation, consolidated government, or other political subdivision of this state shall adopt or continue in effect any ordinance, rule, regulation, or resolution prohibiting, impeding, or restricting the establishment or maintenance of honey bees in hives.
It goes on to clarify that this does not restrict the zoning authority of counties or municipalities to determine appropriate locations for apiaries.
In summary, Oklahoma law ensures that local governments cannot ban beekeeping, but they can regulate where apiaries are placed through zoning ordinances.
The Importance of Beekeeping for Local Agriculture
Just a neat and practical piece of Oklahoma law—especially relevant for those involved in agriculture, beekeeping, or local food production.
If you found this information helpful or believe it could help someone else, please visit TheOklahomaCityAttorney.com.
Get Legal Guidance Today!
I’m OKC business attorney Dillan Savage with Wirth Law Office, and thank you for watching. For a low-cost consultation on your beekeeping or agricultural legal questions, call me at 405-888-5400.
