Update 8/6/2025 from the City of Santa Rosa:

After further review and consultations with the City Attorney’s office, they are finding that the language in the City’s Municipal Code does not allow beekeeping.  Given the amount of public response in favor of beekeeping in the city of Santa Rosa, they are moving forward to initiate an amendment to the code to create language necessary to allow beekeeping. This process will take 6-8 months which will include time to research what is needed to develop a draft ordinance as well as working with SCBA.  Once a draft is completed there will be community outreach and a public hearing. 

We will continue to provide updates as we get them.

Update 8/1/2025: At this time SCBA is not writing a new beekeeping ordinance. We wish for the current ordinance to be interpreted in the way it has been for decades, in that beekeeping is allowed in Santa Rosa and will/should continue as such. This interpretation conditionally allowed outside of commercial or nuisance contexts. This is dependent on the interpretation of the current code.

SCBA respects the City’s permissive zoning framework but believe it must be applied with consistency. The city of Santa Rosa has chosen to regulate—not ban—beekeeping in multiple code sections. That means beekeeping is not absent. It is acknowledged. We are asking for a reasonable interpretation: that non-commercial, non-nuisance beekeeping is not prohibited under current zoning. This aligns with the City’s past practices, current code language, and General Plan values.

If the city decides to interpret that beekeeping is not allowed, we will need our communities support in contacting city council members to ask them to bring this to a council meeting agenda.

More to come, when we have it... 

Direct questions to SCBA President, Cheryl Koeller, at president@sonomabees.org

UPDATE 7/10/25: The agenda item referencing Urban Beekeeping in Santa Rosa scheduled for the July 17 Zoning Administration Meeting has been postponed while city officials continue to do research. 

Thank you to everyone who has sent in letters, emails, and made phones calls. Thank you also to the Santa Rosa City Council and those at the Santa Rosa City Ordinance office for listening to our concerns and taking time to deal with this complicated situation.

This situation is constantly evolving, and we will update as we know more information.

The issue

• Santa Rosa's zoning code currently does not list beekeeping as a "permitted use".
• A formal zoning code interpretation is being prepared to determine if non-commercial beekeeping is allowed.
• The city has cited restrictions that apply only in certain contexts (eg commercial use, or nuisances) - not beekeeping in general.

The SCBA disagrees with any interpretation that prohibits non-commercial beekeeping.  Our position is outlined in detail here.

We believe that:

• Beekeeping is not prohibited in the code;
• Exceptions exist that support our interpretation;
• The code should not be changed—we are not asking for new language, only a correct understanding of what's already there.

More info on the similarities and consistency between beekeeping and the existing zoning rules can be found here.

We believe that responsible, small-scale urban beekeeping should be allowed.  Honey bees are a vital pollinator that support gardens, native plants and food systems. City staff and the zoning administrator are reviewing this issue now.  Public input can help shape how beekeeping is interpreted and supported. 

Meeting info

Zoning Administrator Meeting:
Thursday, July 17, 2025
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

AGENDA ITEM POSTPONED: We will update when we know more information

Next steps

We will keep you all updated here as this progresses.