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 State: You must fill out the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Honey Bee Health Information form.
• 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” on the top of the registration form.
• Provide your block and lot number on the application: You can find this information by doing a building search through the Buildings Information System (BIS).
• There is no fee to register as a beekeeper.
• Submit a separate registration form for each hive.

• Notification: The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will email or send a letter to confirm it got your form. If you have questions, email the NYC Health Department at beekeeping@health.nyc.gov.

• Updating information: If you need to change any information, update your registration by resubmitting your 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 Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Beekeeper Registration Form.

• Submit the completed form via USPS regular mail to the address below:
  
  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

Beekeepers must renew their registration every year by May 13. You can renew in two ways:

• Fill out an online registration form.
• Fill out a fillable registration form (PDF) and email it to beekeeping@health.nyc.gov. Select "Annual" 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