Restrict the location of commercial apiaries

hb911_00_IN

As Introduced

136th
General Assembly

Regular
Session
H. B. No. 911

2025-2026

Representative Miller, M.

To
amend section 909.02 and to enact section 909.021 of the Revised Code

to
restrict the location of commercial apiaries under specified
conditions.

BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section
1.
That
section 909.02 be amended and section 909.021 of the Revised Code be
enacted to read as follows:

Sec.
909.02.
(A)

Any
person owning or possessing bees shall on or before the first day of
June of each year, or thereafter within thirty days after coming into
ownership or possession of bees, or upon moving bees into this state
from outside the state, file with the director of agriculture an
application for registration setting forth the exact location of the
person's apiaries and such other information as is required by the
director. All registrations issued in accordance with this section
expire on the following thirty-first day of May and shall be renewed
according to the standard renewal procedure of sections 4745.01 to
4745.03 of the Revised Code.

(B)
The director shall issue an initial registration to a person only if
the person's proposed apiary complies with at least one of the
requirements established in division (A) of section 909.021 of the
Revised Code.

(C)

No
person shall maintain an apiary unless the apiary is registered under
this section and identifiable by name or identification number
assigned to such person by the director. Such identification number
shall be posted in a conspicuous location in the apiary. The moving,
raising, and production of bees, beeswax, honey, and honey products
shall be deemed an agricultural pursuit.

Sec.
909.021.
(A)
On and after the effective date of this section, no person shall
establish a new apiary that is located within three miles of another
existing apiary registered under section 909.02 of the Revised Code,
unless one or more of the following apply:

(1)
The person obtains the permission of the owner of the existing
apiary.

(2)
The person does not intend to use the proposed apiary for commercial
purposes.

(3)
The proposed apiary will contain less than ten hives.

(4)
The existing apiary is not used for commercial purposes.

(5)
The proposed apiary will be located on property owned by the person.

(B)
Division (A) of this section does not apply to either of the
following:

(1)
A person that maintains an apiary that is used solely for personal or
recreational purposes;

(2)
A person that maintains an apiary whose bees are pollinating actively
flowering or blooming crops.

Section
2.
That
existing section 909.02 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.