As Introduced

136th General Assembly

Regular Session H. B. No. 911

2025-2026

Representative Miller, M.

To amend section 909.02 and to enact section 909.021 of the Revised Code to restrict the location of commercial apiaries under specified conditions.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 909.02 be amended and section 909.021 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 909.02. (A) Any person owning or possessing bees shall on or before the first day of June of each year, or thereafter within thirty days after coming into ownership or possession of bees, or upon moving bees into this state from outside the state, file with the director of agriculture an application for registration setting forth the exact location of the person's apiaries and such other information as is required by the director. All registrations issued in accordance with this section expire on the following thirty-first day of May and shall be renewed according to the standard renewal procedure of sections 4745.01 to 4745.03 of the Revised Code.

(B) The director shall issue an initial registration to a person only if the person's proposed apiary complies with at least one of the requirements established in division (A) of section 909.021 of the Revised Code.

(C) No person shall maintain an apiary unless the apiary is registered under this section and identifiable by name or identification number assigned to such person by the director. Such identification number shall be posted in a conspicuous location in the apiary. The moving, raising, and production of bees, beeswax, honey, and honey products shall be deemed an agricultural pursuit.

Sec. 909.021. (A) On and after the effective date of this section, no person shall establish a new apiary that is located within three miles of another existing apiary registered under section 909.02 of the Revised Code, unless one or more of the following apply:

(1) The person obtains the permission of the owner of the existing apiary.

(2) The person does not intend to use the proposed apiary for commercial purposes.

(3) The proposed apiary will contain less than ten hives.

(4) The existing apiary is not used for commercial purposes.

(5) The proposed apiary will be located on property owned by the person.

(B) Division (A) of this section does not apply to either of the following:

(1) A person that maintains an apiary that is used solely for personal or recreational purposes;

(2) A person that maintains an apiary whose bees are pollinating actively flowering or blooming crops.

Section 2. That existing section 909.02 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.