Lakewood Bee Hive Requirements
A summary of requirements is provided below:
- Obtaining small animal permit, which allows the city to provide education to homeowners on the requirements for keeping bees as well as resources for proper beekeeping.
- Requiring hives to be 25 feet from any public walkway whether that walkway is on the font, side or back of a home.
- Limiting the number of hives by the size of the lot.
- Requiring a flyway barrier, which prompts the bees to enter and exit their hives from a certain direction.
- Providing a water source near the hive.
- Requiring hives to be set back a minimum of 5 feet and as much as 15 feet from the neighboring property line, depending on the zoning district.
Below is information on the robust community involvement process used in developing this urban agricultural requirements.
- 31 Community Advisory Group meetings.
- 5 City Council study sessions.
- 5 ward open houses. Wards are the geographic areas that City Council members represent, and there are five wards in Lakewood.
- 4 ward meetings.
- 3 community events.
- 9 community open houses.
- 8 neighborhood meetings.
- 8 business association meetings.
- 21 articles appearing either in commercial newspapers or in city of Lakewood publications provided to residents.
- Postcards, posters, emails and mailings sent directly to residents.
- Survey and online information at a website dedicated to the proposed changes called www.playyourpart.org.
