Urban Beekeeping Bylaw Planned

The electoral areas of the Regional District of North Okanagan will be developing a bylaw that will govern urban beekeeping.

Currently the City of Vernon has one, but it differs from that in the electoral areas.

Board Chair Bob Fleming says staff will now work towards getting one similar to Vernon’s.

“Our allowance as far as lot was significantly larger, so we are looking for staff to bring back a bylaw that allows for people on smaller lots to keep bees.”

“It’s more tweaking of our bylaw. We allow bees and so on. They are an agricultural enterprise but this is just bringing the lot size down where people can contemplate keeping bees on somewhat smaller lot sizes.”

Fleming says there will be certain rules placed on beekeepers though.

“There’s some restrictions on keeping the bees up and away from residences, so heights of fences, vegetative barriers, hedges and so on so when bees come out of the hives they fly up and not into neighbouring yards so much.”

The beekeeping bylaw will be back at the Regional Board in April.

Vernon currently allows two bee hives on urban properties.