Apiary registration
District of Columbia apiary registration
District of Columbia 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
- Renews every 12 months from your registration date
- New beekeepers: register within 30 days
State's wording: register within 30 days of establishing a colony; renew annually
- Fee
- $10 per apiary
- Law
- Sustainable Urban Agriculture Apiculture Act of 2012 (Sustainable DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2014)
- Agency
- Official page doee.dc.gov
- Form doee.dc.gov
- No phone on file — use the agency site
Notes
Max 4 hives per property unless >1/4 acre or DOEE permission; permit needed to move colonies in/out of the District.
Sources
- doee.dc.gov https://doee.dc.gov/service/beekeeping-district
- doee.dc.gov https://doee.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ddoe/service_content/attachments/Bee%20registration.pdf
How this was checked
Verified on September 4, 2026. Confidence: medium.
We could not fully verify this item; treat it as a prompt to call the agency, not as a rule.
All states: apiary registration by state
Questions beekeepers ask
Do I have to register bees in District of Columbia?
Yes. Apiary registration is required in District of Columbia.
When is District of Columbia registration due?
The cadence on file: register within 30 days of establishing a colony; renew annually.
What does registration cost in District of Columbia?
The fee wording on file: $10 per apiary. It is printed as found; confirm with the agency before you rely on it.
Who do I contact in District of Columbia?
The agency page is doee.dc.gov; 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: Sustainable Urban Agriculture Apiculture Act of 2012 (Sustainable DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2014). Sources checked: doee.dc.gov, doee.dc.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.