This probably needed to be an earlier post because there is no sense in ordering both bees and equipment if you have no place to put them. Every city is different, and I am fortunate to live in Austin where there are not a lot of restrictions on keeping bees. It all boils down to checking three things:
- City Code. For any Austin residents, the code is located here.
- Neighbor HOA and/or Covenants
- Your neighbors themselves
The last one is probably the most important because even if you meet the first two requirements, you really don’t want your neighbors complaining about your hive. My neighbors were not too thrilled about the prospect of bees next door especially with them having a young child. The conversation went something like this:
Me: I’m thinking about starting a bee hive in my backyard and wanted to discuss it with you.
Neighbors: How many bees are we talking about?
Me: Um, like 100,000 or so….
So that basically sealed the deal of finding an alternative location.
Technically my neighborhood convenant also states I can’t keep livestock or animals beyond the usual cats, dogs, and other normal pets. Lucky for me, south Austin in generally more laid back about bees (and chickens, pigs, etc), so I was able to find a friend willing to let me place a hive in their yard.
Urban Beekeeping in Austin, Texas 