Beekeeper Registration

If you keep non-aggressive honeybees in New York City, you must register your hives every year. This is true whether you keep bees for fun or for business. You need to register with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. This helps the Department know where the hives are and how many bees you have.

If you do not register your beehives, you could be fined.

• Register your hive(s) with the NYC Health Department. Submit a separate registration form for each hive using the online registration form or the fillable registration form.
  • Provide your block and lot number on the application form: You can find this information by doing a building search through the Buildings Information System (BIS).
• Register your hive(s) with the State: You must register your hive(s) with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets on their Honey Bee Health webpage.
• There is no fee to register a beehive.
• New beekeepers must submit their hive registration form within 30 days of setting up their hive(s): If you’re registering for the first time, select “New Submission” on the top of the registration form.
• Re-register your hive each year. All hives must be re-registered with the NYC Health Department by May 31 each year and each year with New York State.

• Notification: The NYC Health Department will email to confirm receipt of your form. If you have questions, email beekeeping@health.nyc.gov.

• Updating information: If you need to change any information, update your registration by resubmitting the NYC Health Department Beekeeper Registration Form. You can do this in two ways:

  • Complete an online registration form.
  • Complete a fillable Beekeeper Registration Form (PDF) and email it to beekeeping@health.nyc.gov. Select "Revision" as the type of registration.

Beekeepers must follow these rules:

• Use movable frame hives in good condition.
• Provide a constant water source.
• Place hives such that bees do not bother people or animals.

Beekeepers should be ready to:

• Control bee swarms quickly.
• Fix problems that cause bees to be a nuisance.

A beekeeping nuisance includes:

• Aggressive or bothersome bees.
• Hive placement or bee movement that bothers people.
• Overcrowded, dead, or abandoned hives.

• Read the beekeeping requirements and fill out the NYC Health Department Beekeeper Registration Form.

• Mail the completed form to:
  
  Public Health Entomology Unit
  NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
  Office of Vector Surveillance and Control
  125 Worth St., Box No. 32L
  New York, NY 10013

Beekeepers must renew their NYC Health Department registration every year by May 31. You can renew in two ways:

• Fill out an online registration form. Select "Yearly Notification" as beekeeper registration type.
• Fill out a fillable registration form (PDF) and email it to beekeeping@health.nyc.gov. Select "Yearly Notification" as the type of registration.

Beekeepers must renew each hive's registration by May 31 every year. When renewing, select "Annual" on the registration form.

• Fill out the Beekeeping Requirements and Registration Form (PDF).

• Submit the completed form via USPS regular mail to:
  
  Public Health Entomology Unit
  NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)
  Office of Vector Surveillance and Control
  125 Worth St., Box No. 32L
  New York, NY 10013