Council Recap: Backyard beekeeping approved—on limited basis

Published on July 10, 2024

Many cities in L.A. County, including nearby communities like Bellflower and Long Beach, allow homeowners to raise honeybees in their backyards, with rules and protocols to protect neighbors.

There has been growing news about the importance of bees in pollinating flowers and plants and the benefits of homemade, organic honey. For over 40 years, Lakewood has prevented backyard beekeeping in virtually the entire city. But in the past year, there’s been increased interest in having the city reconsider its policy. 

The City Council directed staff to investigate the matter, including the pros and cons and best practices followed by other cities. The council and planning commission held several study sessions on the matter, and the council ultimately passed an ordinance on July 9 to allow backyard beekeeping on a limited basis in Lakewood (up to a maximum of 10 residential lots across the city) with rules and protocols to protect neighbors. The council also directed staff to return with reports at the end of year 1 and year 2 on how the new beekeeping ordinance is working out in practice.

Anyone interested in beekeeping will have to get a city permit, which will include safeguards such as setbacks on where the bees will be kept from neighboring properties, height requirements on hedges or beehives so that bees have to fly up to leave a property, registration with the L.A. County Department of Agriculture, and adherence to a set of best management protocols on beekeeping.

“Beekeeping is not a casual hobby, but one that requires a lot of knowledge, time and dedication,” said Lakewood City Manager Thaddeus McCormack. “But given the benefits of it, we expect that we might have a few Lakewood residents who have the interest and experience in expertly maintaining a honeybee hive. We’ve seen how beekeeping has worked in nearby communities, and we know that Lakewood residents would want any beekeeping here to be done with the upmost of care and consideration for neighbors. We think that the final ordinance passed last night is a balanced and responsible approach that will allow opportunities for responsible beekeeping with lots of protections for Lakewood neighborhoods.”

The new beekeeping rules and applications for permits are expected to be available at the city’s Community Development Department sometime after August 9, 2024. Department staff can be reached at 562-866-9771, ext. 2341 or fgriffiths@lakewoodcity.org.

View the beekeeping ordinance(PDF, 3MB)