Are bees allowed? Perhaps. City has no ordinances about honey bees and would defer to state code. Staff declined to interpret definition of Agriculture to include honey bees. If it were to define Agriculture as inclusive of honey bees, then bee keeping would be allowed in the A-1 Agricultural Districts.
Chapter 165 Zoning Regulations 165.02 DEFINITIONS
2. “Agriculture” means the use of land for agricultural purposes, including necessary buildings and structures which shall be used for agriculture including, but not limited to, farming, dairying, pasturage, horticulture, floriculture, and animal and poultry husbandry, except certain forms of confinement feeding, and the necessary accessory uses for packing, treating or storing the produce; provided, however, the operation of any such accessory uses shall be secondary to that of the normal agriculture activities.
165.12 A-1 AGRICULTURAL DISTRICTS. 1. Permitted Principal Uses. A. Agriculture and agricultural buildings.
If a nuisance was called: Possibly a zoning violation if bee keeping fell under the definition of Agriculture. If not included under Agriculture, then a definition of nuisance would need to be met.
Additional notes: Honey bees do not fit in definition of “livestock.”
Ch. 55 Animal Protection and Control Definitions 11. “Livestock” means an animal belonging to the bovine, caprine, equine, ovine or porcine species, ostriches, rheas, emus; farm deer as defined in Section 170.1 of the Code of Iowa; or poultry
CHAPTER 122 PEDDLERS, SOLICITORS AND TRANSIENT MERCHANTS
122.18 LICENSE EXEMPTIONS. The following are excluded from the application of this chapter. … 3. Local Residents and Farmers. Local residents and farmers who offer for sale their own products.
Contact: Terry Cox
Department: Administration
Title: Administrator
Email: TCox@harlannet.com
Phone: 712-755-5137
County: Shelby