Free tool
Apiary registration by state
Apiary registration is the record a state keeps of who has bees and where. Inspectors use it to find yards when a disease turns up, and pesticide applicators use it to know where not to spray. Of the 51 jurisdictions here (the 50 states and the District of Columbia), 26 require registration, 3 require it above a colony threshold, 12 keep a voluntary registry, and 10 have no registration at all. Find your state below, then open its page for the date, the fee, the law and who to call.
Verified September 4, 2026. Rules change — confirm on your state's site before you rely on a date or a fee.
Each row prints the state's own cadence sentence and fee wording as we recorded them; nothing is normalized into a number. "Checked" says how the row was verified: high means read from the statute or the agency page, medium means from a search index or a statute mirror, low means not verified.
Required (26)
Every beekeeper registers, on the state's schedule. The "When" column is the state's own wording; the state page spells out the date, the fee and the law.
| State | When | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | annual, fixed date: register on or before October 1 each year | set by the Board of Agriculture and Industries by colony count — see ADAI portal (dollar tiers unverified) | medium |
| Alaska | annual form (state re-issues the form each year; 2026 form dated Jan 1 2026) | none listed on form | medium |
| Arkansas | register each apiary within 10 days of acquiring bees (or before moving bees in from out of state); re-register on any significant change of location/operation; nonresidents annually | none | high |
| California | annual, due January 1 (or within 30 days of acquiring/moving bees in); fees late Feb 1 with 50% penalty | 2026: 1-9 colonies $10 (waiver may be available), 10-50 $100, 51+ $250, broker $250 | high |
| Connecticut | upon acquiring bees and annually on or before October 1 | none ($25 fine for failure) | high |
| Delaware | notify within 10 days of acquiring bees; register annually on or before January 30 | not stated | high |
| District of Columbia | register within 30 days of establishing a colony; renew annually | $10 per apiary | medium |
| Florida | annual; renew on or before the anniversary date of the certificate (invoiced 30 days before expiry) | 1-5 colonies $10; 6-40 $20; 41-200 $40; 201-500 $70; 501+ $100 | high |
| Illinois | annual; renew during November each year | none | high |
| Louisiana | annual apiary permit; expires September 30 each year; also before bringing bees into the state | by colony count (residents cheaper than non-residents); amounts not published on page | high |
| Maine | annual license; fee due June 15; valid 12 months expiring mid-June | minimum $10 (1-10 colonies) up to $550 (7,001+) | high |
| Maryland | within 30 days of first obtaining a colony, then annually | none ($0; optional donation to inspectors fund) | high |
| Montana | annual; reregister apiary sites before April 1; delinquent after April 1 (penalty 10% or $10); registration forfeited if not renewed by June 1 | reregistration $10-$50 per site (hobbyist fee capped lower by statute) | high |
| New Jersey | annual; certificates expire December 31 | none stated in rule | high |
| New York | annual | not stated | high |
| North Dakota | beekeeper license expires December 31 annually; notify commissioner of each apiary location before placing hives | $5 license + $0.15 per colony assessment | high |
| Ohio | annual; due June 1 (or within 30 days of acquiring bees); registrations expire May 31 | set by ODA (not in statute) | high |
| Pennsylvania | every 2 years | $10 for two years | medium |
| Rhode Island | annual; notify DEM not later than March 1 | none in statute | high |
| South Dakota | annual; file before February 1, or within 10 days of acquiring bees, or before moving bees in | set by DANR (not in statute) | high |
| Tennessee | register new apiaries; re-register every 3 years | none stated | high |
| Utah | apply within 30 days of taking possession/moving bees in; renew annually on or before December 31 | annual fee set by UDAF | high |
| Vermont | register upon acquiring bees; renew annually by June 30 (notices mailed June 1) | $10 per apiary location per year | high |
| Washington | annual; register and pay by April 1 | 1-5 colonies $5; 6-25 $10; 26-100 $25; 101-300 $50; 301-500 $100; 501-1,000 $200; 1,001+ $300 | high |
| West Virginia | apply within 10 days of acquiring bees; certificates expire June 30 and renew annually | none in statute | high |
| Wyoming | annual, fixed date: register before April 1 each year; a registration not received by May 1 is forfeited | $0 for hobbyist apiaries (≤5 hives, 'nonfee certificate'); general apiaries per W.S. 11-1-104 (amount not fetched — see WDA) | high |
Required above a colony threshold (3)
Registration starts above a colony count. Below it you are exempt or voluntary; the state page prints the threshold.
| State | When | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | commercial (>50 colonies): annual, on or before July 1; hobbyists exempt but 'highly recommended' | $10 for up to 50 colonies + $0.10 per additional colony, plus honey advertising tax | high |
| New Mexico | commercial apiaries: annual, on or before November 1 | $3 per apiary (max $200 per beekeeper) | high |
| Oregon | 5+ colonies: annual, before June 1 | up to $10 per application + $0.50 per colony ($20 + $0.50 after July 1) | high |
Voluntary (12)
The state keeps a registry but does not require you to be in it. Most exist so applicators can find your yard before they spray.
| State | When | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | n/a | n/a | medium |
| Hawaii | n/a | none | high |
| Indiana | n/a | none | medium-high |
| Iowa | voluntary Sensitive Crops Directory (BeeCheck) registration expires December 31; confirm annually starting in January | none | high |
| Massachusetts | n/a | none | high |
| Nevada | n/a | none | high |
| New Hampshire | annual re-registration encouraged | none | medium |
| North Carolina | n/a | none | medium |
| Oklahoma | voluntary; register by January 31 each year | $10 | high |
| South Carolina | n/a | none | high |
| Texas | voluntary annual registration expiring August 31 | set by chief apiary inspector (TAIS) | high |
| Virginia | BeeCheck registrations valid one calendar year; renew annually | none | high |
No registration (10)
No state apiary registration. Some of these states have a voluntary map or a notification rule instead; the notes on each state page say what.
Registries and inspector directories
Registration with your state is one thing; these are the voluntary maps and directories beekeepers also use. Links go to each program's own site.
- Apiary Inspectors of America - US Inspection Services directory apiaryinspectors.org
- Bee Culture - Apiary Inspectors in the United States beeculture.com
- FieldWatch (parent of BeeCheck / DriftWatch / CropCheck / FieldCheck) www.fieldwatch.com
- BeeCheck apiary registry beecheck.org
- California BeeWhere (mandatory) beewhere.calagpermits.org
- Iowa Sensitive Crops Directory iowaagriculture.gov
- Kentucky Pollinator Protection registry www.kyagr-apps.com
- Massachusetts Apiary and Pesticide Locator (MAPL) + voluntary apiary registration www.mass.gov
- Clemson (SC) Voluntary Bee Mapping Program www.kellysolutions.com
- Nevada Voluntary Apiary Registration arcg.is
- Minnesota Bee Kill reporting / compensation www.mda.state.mn.us
Free tools
Questions beekeepers ask
Do I have to register my bees?
It depends on the state. Some require registration of every apiary, a few only above a colony count, some make it voluntary, and some have no registration at all. The tables above sort every state and the District of Columbia into those four groups; open your state for the cadence, the fee, the agency and the law it cites.
What happens if I do not register?
It depends on the state; the page for your state cites the law, and that citation is where any penalty is written. This site does not summarize penalties — read the statute or ask the agency.
How much does it cost?
It varies. Many states charge nothing, some a flat fee, a few a per-colony or tiered fee. The fee column in the tables is the wording found on the agency page or in the statute, printed as-is; where it says the fee is set by the agency or is unverified, call before you rely on a number.
Can I register in more than one state?
Registration is per state: each state's rule covers the colonies kept inside it, and registering in one state does not cover another. If you move bees across a state line, ask the destination state's agency what it requires on entry before you load the truck — this site covers registration only.
What are BeeCheck and FieldWatch?
FieldWatch runs a set of voluntary registries that map apiaries and sensitive crops so pesticide applicators can check before they spray; BeeCheck is its beekeeper map, and it is free for beekeepers. In a couple of states it is part of the official registration path; elsewhere it is separate from registration. The registries list above links the generic sites — your state page says whether it applies to you.
Why does every page show a confidence and a verified date?
Every row was checked on the date shown, and confidence says how: high means the fact was read from the fetched statute or agency page, medium means it came through a search index or a secondary copy of the law, and low means it could not be verified. Rules change between checks; confirm with your state before you rely on a date or a fee.
Who do I call?
Your state apiary inspector, or the agency on your state's page. If no phone is on file, use the contact page on the agency site. The Apiary Inspectors of America directory in the registries list names every state's inspector. For a suspected disease, a pesticide kill or a question about a treatment, the inspector is the person to call.
Is registration the same as a license to sell honey?
No. Apiary registration is about colonies and inspection. Selling honey falls under the federal label rules and your state's food rules — see the honey label checklist.
Bee Community
Take it to the bee yard
The app keeps your registrations and reminds you before the renewal date.
Bee Community is a free Android app for the bee yard: a logbook that works offline, reminders built from your own records and your region's season, a mite-wash calculator with the Honey Bee Health Coalition thresholds, a mite trend chart, and a treatment picker driven by EPA labels. Free for two active hives with no ads; Premium and Commercial add hives and tools, and nothing you record is ever locked.
Get Bee Community on Google PlayAndroid only. Weather and the season calendar are US-only for now. Beekeepers 18 and over. Nothing in the app is veterinary, regulatory or professional advice; the product label is the law, and your state apiary inspector is the person to call.
Questions or support: support@mybeecommunity.com
Nothing on this page is veterinary, regulatory, legal or professional advice. The product label is the law, and your state apiary inspector is the person to call. Photos, weather data and varroa guidance come from public-domain, Creative Commons and extension sources and are credited on the app's Credits screen.