In adherence to California State regulation (FAC 29040-29056), if you are keeping honey bees in any part of San Diego County, it is required that you register the location of all apiaries as well as the number of hives with the San Diego Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures.
Registration is required to be submitted annually by the first of January or within 30 days of acquiring a honey bee hive.
Registration fee is based on colony count; 1-9 colonies: $10 (waived in San Diego County), 10-50 colonies: $100, 51 or more colonies: $250. Fees are assessed in arrears, so your 2026 registration fee will be based on the maximum number of colonies you had registered in 2025. The fees must be paid by January 31st of each registration year. Owners can occur fines of up to $1000 for reported apiaries found to be unregistered.
Once registered, beekeepers become part of the San Diego County honey bee network to receive information on educational opportunities, research, and regulatory efforts; as well as notifications before “toxic to bees” labeled pesticides are applied within one mile of a registered apiary. Registration also provides beekeepers easier access to the expertise of the county entomologist and inspector, and/or to apiary specialists.
Please note that the County of San Diego will only accept electronic apiary registrations for 2026 and beyond. Paper registration forms will no longer “bee” available. This change is intended to streamline the registration process and make submissions more convenient.
For more information on how to register, please click the link below.
Download Apiary Registration Forms