Fort St. John, British Columbia
· adopted 2017-04-24
This is the exact embedded text of the captured official document.
Snapshot 6c5688186c05 · verified 2026-08-28 ·
original document ·
archived snapshot ·
unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.
CITY OF FORT ST. JOHN
BYLAW NO. 2373, 2017
A Bylaw to Regulate the Keeping of Bees
WHEREAS pursuant to Section 8(3)(k) of the Community Charter a Council may, by bylaw, regulate,
prohibit and impose requirements in relation to animals;
NOW THEREFORE Council of the City of Fort St. John, in open meeting assembled, enacts as follows:
1. Title:
This Bylaw may be cited for all purposes as "City of Fort St. John Beekeeping Bylaw No. 2373, 2017".
2. Definitions:
In this Bylaw:
"Apiculture" means the keeping and management of bees;
"Bee" includes the insect Apis Mellifera;
"Beehive" means a box or receptacle with movable frames used for housing a colony of Bees;
"Beekeeper" means a person who owns or controls Bees; and
"Colony" means queen, brood and accompanying Bees.
"Nucleus Hive" means a complete colony with one egg laying queen, worker bees, 3-5 frames with
brood in all stages of development and some reserves of pollen and honey
3. Responsibility:
1. The requirements in this Bylaw are additional to the requirements imposed on Beekeepers
under the British Columbia Bee Regulation B.C. Reg. 3/2015 or other applicable standards
adopted by the Province of British Columbia from time to time.
2. The registered owner of parcel of land on which Bees are kept is deemed to be a Beekeeper
under this Bylaw unless the registered owner advises a bylaw enforcement officer in writing that
the registered owner has granted permission to keep Bees to a tenant or other occupier of the
parcel.
Beekeeping Bylaw No. 2373, 2017
Page 2
4. Beehive Management :
A Beekeeper must:
a)
take reasonable steps to ensure that the apicultural operation does not pose a safety
risk to persons on adjacent parcels or highways;
b)
take reasonable steps to minimize the risk of damage to adjacent buildings and
property caused by Apiculture;
c)
provide Bees with access to sufficient and proximate water;
d)
re-queen the Colony if the Colony engages in swarming or aggressive behavior;
e)
not locate a Beehive within 3 meters of any neighboring property line;
f)
either contain a Beehive within an area surrounded by a solid 1.8 meter high fence or
place the Beehive a minimum of 2.4 meters off the ground;
g)
direct the Beehive entrances away from neighboring properties unless environmental
conditions such as wind or limited sun exposure make this unhealthy for the Bees; and
h)
locate Beehives in the rear yard of the property.
5. Number of Colonies:
No Beekeeper shall keep more than:
a)
two (2) Colonies and two (2) nucleus Colonies on a parcel of land with an area less than
1,000 square meters (0.1 hectares); or
b)
four (4) Colonies and four (4) nucleus Colonies on a parcel of land having an area
exceeding 1,000 square meters (0.1 hectares)
6. Inspection:
A public health officer, licence inspector, bylaw enforcement officer, member of the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police, or any other municipal employee, or agent, duly authorized by
Council for such purpose, may enter at all reasonable times upon any property in order to
determine whether or not a person is complying with the provisions of this Bylaw.
7. Offence and Penalties:
Any person who contravenes a provision of this Bylaw is liable upon summary conviction to a
maximum fine of $10,000.00 and, if ordered by the court, to pay the City of Fort St. John the
costs of prosecution. Every day during which a contravention continues shall constitute a
separate offence.
8. Severability:
If any section, subsection sentence, clause or phrase of this Bylaw is for any reason held to be
invalid by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, the invalid portion shall be
severed and the part that is invalid shall not affect the validity of the remainder.
Beekeeping Bylaw No. 2373, 2017
Page 3
READ FOR A FIRST TIME THIS
27th
DAY OF
FEBRUARY,
2017
READ FOR A SECOND TIME THIS
27th
DAY OF
FEBRUARY,
2017
READ FOR A THIRD TIME THIS
10th
DAY OF
APRIL,
2017
ADOPTED THIS
24TH
DAY OF
APRIL,
2017
LORI ACKERMAN
JANET PRESTLEY, DIRECTOR OF
MAYOR
LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE
SERVICES