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Ordinance No. 142 Agricultural and Wild Animals Page 5 of 8 iv. Larger than 1 ½ acre but smaller than 2 acre: 6 colonies v. 2 acres or more: 8 colonies 3. Standards of Practice. i. Colonies shall be kept in hives with removable frames, which shall be kept in sound and usable condition, not exceeding six feet in height. ii. An inactive hive shall be removed within 30 days if no longer occupied by a colony. iii. Each beekeeper shall maintain their beekeeping equipment in good condition, including maintenance of paint, and securing unused equipment from weather, potential theft or vandalism and occupancy by swarms. iv. Each beekeeper shall ensure that a convenient source of water is available on the apiary lot so long as colonies remain active outside the hive. v. For each colony permitted, there may also be maintained upon the same apiary lot, one nucleus colony in a hive structure not to exceed one standard 9-5/8 inch depth 10-frame hive body with no supers. vi. Each beekeeper shall ensure that no wax comb, syrup for feeding honey bees, or other material that might encourage robbing by other bees are left exposed outdoors. Such materials shall be stored in sealed insect-proof containers and removed from the site or placed within a building. vii. Sale of apiary products on-site in residential zoning districts shall adhere to the requirements for Home Occupations. 2. Permitting and Inspection. 1. Permit Required. A permit is required for any person seeking to keep honeybees as allowed by this section. Any applicant shall complete an application form provided by the City. Any amendment to an existing license shall constitute a new application and fee. The application shall include, but is not limited to the following information: i. Site plan showing the location and size of the lot and the location, size and type of all structures related to the apiary. ii. A signed agreement by the applicant that the premises may be inspected by the Animal Control Officer to ensure compliance with all applicable conditions. iii. A certificate of completion from a beekeeping training course from the University of Minnesota Bee Lab, or a comparable course from another institution or instructor. iv. A mailing list for all properties within 350 feet of the apiary lot. An informational notice shall be sent to the neighboring property owners by the City Clerk upon issuance of beekeeping permit. 2. Review, Revocation, and Appeal. Refer to Section 9 of this Ordinance for the permit application review, revocation, and appeal processes. 3. Duration of Permit and Fee. A beekeeping permit shall be valid one year from the issued date. The annual fee for a permit is set forth by the City Fee Schedule. 4. Right of Entry for Inspections. The Animal Control Officer shall have the right to inspect any apiary at any reasonable time for the purpose of verifying compliance with this Ordinance. It shall be deemed a violation of this division for any person to resist, impede, or hinder the City official or designee in the performance of their duties in inspecting any apiary and apiary lot. Section 45. Stable Operations Commented [CS1]: A nucleus colony is a widely accepted and taught practice in beekeeping. Nucleus colonies are needed in order to raise new worker bees and queens to strengthen the existing colonies. If a queen dies, the beekeeper needs to have a new queen to keep the worker bees from fleeing their hive and attempting to overtake a different one. They are essentially mini-hives. Commented [EM2]: Home Occupations are only allowed on residential lots. PC should consider the potential of having honey stands and sales on/near County E and Hwy 61, as there are some vacant parcels in the Gateway zone. Commented [EM3]: To clarify - Section 5 of ordinance 142 already allows the City Council to designate an ‘animal control officer’ or other person to enforce this ordinance