Apiculture Meeting

6-15-2015

Ives Grove complex

Racine County will be holding an open meeting regarding apiculture (bee keeping) on Monday, June 15th.,starting at 6 pm at the Ives Grove county complex, 14200 Washington Avenue, Sturtevant, WI 53177 (located on hwy 20 and west of interstate 94).

Racine County has drafted ordinances regarding beekeeping and seeks public input before acting upon the draft of ordinance law.

The public may input their thoughts about proposed beekeeping ordinances during this meeting. You may view the drafted ordinances at the end of this blog. This is your chance to input your thoughts and knowledge of beekeeping before Racine County officials further engage in.............. 

Below are the proposed ordinances by 

Racine County;

ORDINANCE NO. 2015-                                                                                   , 2015

ORDINANCE BY THE RACINE COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & LAND USE PLANNING COMMITTEE AMENDING SECTION 20-1 DEFINITIONS AND CREATING SECTIONS 20-1021 BEEKEEPING, 20-1022 BEEKEEPING NOTIFICATION AND PLAN REVIEW, 20-1023 PROHIBITED CONDUCT, INSPECTION, AND HIVE REMOVAL, AND RENUMBERING PORTIONS OF CHAPTER 20, ZONING, RACINE COUNTY CODE OF ORDINANCES

To the Honorable Members of the Racine County Board of Supervisors:

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND that Certain Ordinance Entitled RACINE COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE adopted December 2, 1969, found on pages 185 to 232 of the OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE RACINE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FOR THE YEAR 1969 as recodified May 28, 1991, by Ordinance 91-196.

The County Board of Supervisors of the County of Racine ordains as follows:

AMEND SECTION 20-1 DEFINITIONS by including the following in its proper alphabetical sequence:

            Apiary shall mean the assembly of one or more colonies of bees at a single location.

            Beekeeper shall mean a person who owns or has charge of one (1) or more colonies of bees.

            Beekeeping equipment shall mean anything used in the operation of an apiary, such as hive bodies, supers, frames, top and bottom boards, and extractors.

            Colony shall mean an aggregate of bees in a hive colony consisting of principally workers, but having, when perfect, one queen, and at times many drones, including brood, combs, honey, and hive.

            Flyaway barrier shall mean a natural or manmade obstacle designed to cause bees to fly upward after exiting the hive and directing them away from neighboring and adjoining areas inhabited by humans.  Barriers may be fences or evergreen shrubs.  Barriers must be at least six (6) feet in height.

            Hive shall mean an artificial or natural receptacle which may be used to house bees.

            Honey bee shall mean all stages of the common domestic honey bee, Apis mellifera species.  Keeping of Apis mellifera scutellata is not permitted under any conditions.

            Swarm, for the purposes of this ordinance, shall mean a swarm is a propagation or colony of honey bees outside of its hive.

ORDINANCE NO. 2015-                      PAGE 2                                             , 2015

RENUMBER Secs. 20-1021 – 20-1035 Reserved as Secs. 20-1024 – 20-1035 Reserved.

CREATE SECTION 20-1021 BEEKEEPING TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

            A zoning permit and fee shall be required for beekeeping and shall not be transferable to another location or person.  Upon vacating the property, the beekeeper must remove all apiary structures and bees from the property. 

Beekeeping is permitted in the R-1, R-2, R-2A, R-3, R-3A, R-4, R-5, and R-5A zoning districts provided that:

(1)       no more than two (2) hives are located on residentially zoned lot(s).  The hives forming the apiary structure must be located near each other to form a single apiary.

(2)       all honey bees shall be kept in hives with removable frames that shall be kept in sound and usable condition.

(3)       a closed fence, closed evergreen hedge, building or other solid flyaway barrier shall be located between the hive(s) and the property lines for all hives located within twenty (20) feet of the property line prior to installation of hives.  A flyaway barrier is not needed if the hive is kept at least ten (10) feet off of the ground.

(4)       all hives and related structures that form the apiary may not be located in front or side yards and must be no less than twenty (20) feet from the backyard property line.  Hives must be located outside of any known drainage easements.

(5)       no hive shall be located closer than twenty-five (25) feet from a public area or structure or any existing structures on an adjoining lot(s), such as: dwellings, non-residential buildings, patios, gazebos, decks, swimming pools, or permanently affixed play equipment, but not including storage structures such as garages and sheds.

(6)       a constant supply of water shall be supplied to all hives.

CREATE SECTION 20-1022 BEEKEEPING NOTIFICATION AND PLAN REVIEW TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

(1)       If the beekeeper (applicant) is not the property owner where the apiary is to be located, the applicant shall obtain written permission from the owner of the property.

(2)       Neighbors within two hundred (200) feet of the proposed beekeeping property will be notified.  Written notices of consent or objection must be received by the Department of Public Works and Development Services within ten (10) business days of notification.  Written consent from adjacent neighbors may be required if the proposed hive is less than fifty (50) feet from any structures listed in sec 20-1021(5).

ORDINANCE NO. 2015-                      PAGE 3                                             , 2015

(3)   A site map indicating the location of the proposed apiary, flyaway barrier, and the surrounding areas must be provided with the zoning application.  The site map shall also indicate the setbacks to adjacent dwellings and structures.

(4)   On-site commercial sale of beekeeping products (i.e. honey and/or bee wax production items) within residential districts is prohibited.   

CREATE SECTION 20-1023 PROHIBITED CONDUCT, INSPECTION, AND HIVE REMOVAL TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

(1)     No beekeeper shall keep bees or hives that cause any nuisance, unhealthy conditions, create a public threat or interfere with the normal use and enjoyment of any public property or the property of others.

(2)     In the event bees in the hive repeatedly exhibit aggressive behavior, it shall be the duty of the beekeeper to remove, destroy or re-queen the hive.

(3)     Any bee colony not residing in a hive structure intended for beekeeping should be reported to the Department of Development Services and Public Works. 

(4)     The county may deny or revoke a permit under this article based on the site map submitted or a if a verified complaint of at least two (2) adults living in separate residences is submitted to the Department of Development Services and Public Works for review.

(5)     Hives shall be actively maintained and hives not under active human management and maintenance may be dismantled or removed.  The beekeeper shall have five (5) days following notice from Department of Development Services and Public Works to bring the hive into compliance. 

(6)     Any person aggrieved by a determination or decision by the Department of Development Services and Public Works may appeal in writing to the Racine County Economic Development and Land Use Planning Committee within thirty (30) days of the denial or revocation of permit.  

(7)     If the county requires a hive or apiary inspection and an entomologist or beekeeping specialist is needed, the beekeeper is responsible for all inspection expenses incurred.

 

(8)     Proof of beekeeping competency by the beekeeper may be required.

The Racine County Clerk is directed to transmit duplicate copies of this ordinance by registered mail to the all affected Town Clerks within seven (7) days after this ordinance is adopted.

ORDINANCE NO. 2015-                      PAGE 4                                             , 2015

                                                                        Respectfully submitted,

1st Reading              _____                         ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & LAND USE PLANNING COMMITTEE

2nd Reading             _____

           

                                                                        ____________________________________

BOARD ACTION                                          Mark M. Gleason, Chairman

            Adopted         _____

            For                  _____                         _____________________________________

            Against          _____                         Robert D. Grove, Vice-Chairman

            Absent           _____                        

                                                                        ____________________________________

VOTE REQUIRED:  Majority                      Mike Dawson, Secretary

                                                                       

Prepared by:                                                 _____________________________________

Public Works & Development                    Thomas Pringle

Services Department

                                                                        _____________________________________

Monte G. Osterman

_____________________________________

Tom Roanhouse

_____________________________________

Tom Hincz

The foregoing legislation adopted by the County Board of Supervisors of Racine County, Wisconsin, is hereby:

Approved:  ________________

Vetoed:  __________________

Date: ____________________,

______________________________________

Jonathan Delagrave, County Executive

BEE there and BEE aware