Apiary registration
California apiary registration
California requires beekeepers to register their apiaries. Below is what the record says, where it is written and who to call, as verified on September 4, 2026.
- Requirement
- Required
- When it is due
- January 1 each year (the app's reminder date)
- New beekeepers: register within 30 days
State's wording: annual, due January 1 (or within 30 days of acquiring/moving bees in); fees late Feb 1 with 50% penalty
- Fee
- 2026: 1-9 colonies $10 (waiver may be available), 10-50 $100, 51+ $250, broker $250
- Law
- Food & Agricultural Code §§ 29040-29045
- Agency
- Agency program www.cdfa.ca.gov
- Registration page beewhere.calagpermits.org
- No phone on file — use the agency site
Notes
Register with the County Agricultural Commissioner in EACH county where apiaries sit (BeeWhere, built on FieldWatch). Hobbyists with 9 or fewer hives still must file even if fee-exempt.
Sources
- www.cdfa.ca.gov https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pollinators/docs/2026/2026_apiary_registration_flyer.pdf
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=FAC§ionNum=29040
- www.placer.ca.gov https://www.placer.ca.gov/5390/Apiary-Registration
How this was checked
Verified on September 4, 2026. Confidence: high.
All states: apiary registration by state
Questions beekeepers ask
Do I have to register bees in California?
Yes. Apiary registration is required in California.
When is California registration due?
The cadence on file: annual, due January 1 (or within 30 days of acquiring/moving bees in); fees late Feb 1 with 50% penalty.
What does registration cost in California?
The fee wording on file: 2026: 1-9 colonies $10 (waiver may be available), 10-50 $100, 51+ $250, broker $250. It is printed as found; confirm with the agency before you rely on it.
Who do I contact in California?
The agency is cdfa.ca.gov and the registration page is beewhere.calagpermits.org; no phone is on file, so use the contact page on the agency site. For a suspected disease, a pesticide kill or a question about a treatment, ask for the state apiary inspector.
Where is this written?
Law on file: Food & Agricultural Code §§ 29040-29045. Sources checked: cdfa.ca.gov, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, placer.ca.gov.
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.