Fwd: Action Required: New 2026 Apiary Registration and Fee Changes

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Elinor Levine

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Nov 19, 2025, 11:36:35 AMNov 19
to Alameda County Beekeepers Assn.
Any thoughts on this?

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Alameda Ag, CDA <Alame...@acgov.org>
Date: Wed, Nov 19, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Subject: Action Required: New 2026 Apiary Registration and Fee Changes
To:


Dear Alameda County Beekeepers,

We want to let you know about important updates from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Apiary Protection Program regarding apiary registration requirements under California Food and Agriculture Code Section 29043.

Beginning with the 2026 registration year, CDFA has implemented a new online registration system and updated fee structure.

Key changes include:

  • Registration and payment due date: January 1, 2026
  • Late fee applied: January 30, 2026
  • Fees based on 2025 colony count totals and are paid directly to CDFA through the BeeWhere website
  • Online registration and payment: BeeWhere – https://beewhere.calagpermits.org/

All apiaries must be registered through BeeWhere, and hive location data remains confidential.

 

*** IMPORTANT NOTE: The previous fee waiver for small-scale or hobbyist beekeepers (1–9 colonies) has been eliminated under the new regulations. All beekeepers, regardless of operation size, must now register and pay the required annual fee. Please see the attached flyer for detailed instructions.

 

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding during this transition. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact our offices:

Thank you for your attention to this important update.

 

Sincerely,
Alameda County Department of Agriculture / Weights & Measures

 

 

 

Beekeeper Registration Flyer 2026 - Final (corrected).pdf

Christine Hyung-Oak Lee

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Nov 19, 2025, 12:25:36 PMNov 19
to the-alameda-county-b...@googlegroups.com
Interesting that now we ALL must register, regardless of how many hives we have. I wonder why? 



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Philip von Furstenberg

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Nov 19, 2025, 1:16:51 PMNov 19
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My thoughts are:
1. I don't have any beehives. That's just a box of bugs.
2. My backyard is full of insect colonies, do I have to pay for those too?
3. If you ask me to pay for something and you don't tell me what I get back in return then guess who's not paying.



On Wed, Nov 19, 2025 at 8:36 AM 'Elinor Levine' via The Alameda County Beekeepers Association <the-alameda-county-b...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
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Alan Pryor

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Nov 19, 2025, 1:22:01 PMNov 19
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I had heard in the past pest control would notify you if they were treating in the area. Ive seen 2 pest control vans pull into my neighbors yards and they knew nothing about my registered beehives. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/the-alameda-county-beekeepers-association/CAOBZ-fytR6-0MYvH33QtcQ1dB_jV%3DSGWJXPtFeixq5AGWnkNrA%40mail.gmail.com.

Jennifer

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Nov 19, 2025, 1:24:08 PMNov 19
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“Fees are assessed in arrears, so your 2026 registration fee will be based on the maximum number of colonies you had registered in 2025.”

So if you did not have any colonies registered in 2025, it seems that your fees are $0, per the BeeWhere website. 


Leslie Louie

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Nov 19, 2025, 1:29:04 PMNov 19
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There was a discussion about this a few years ago maybe on Zoom. Points were raised about the fee structure and the unfairness to backyard beeks who might have 12 hives or 20-30 spread over a few locations. They would be paying much more per hive compared to commercial beeks who would be paying much less. The groupings of 10-50 seemed random and suggestions were for cutoffs and fee structures to be changed. It appears these suggestions fell on deaf ears. Yes, they say it's to notify beeks when pest applications will be in your area. However, they acknowledged that this was really only for commercial beeks. 

So I agree with the question - what is the benefit? How would they even enforce registration and payment? In 2025 they said there were no assessed fees so anyone who took them at their word and registered their hives will now be asked to pay.

Leslie
(she/her)


On Wed, Nov 19, 2025 at 10:16 AM Philip von Furstenberg <tofu...@gmail.com> wrote:

Robert L Mathews

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Nov 19, 2025, 1:34:42 PMNov 19
to Bee Talk
The claim is that knowing where all hives are helps them with monitoring the spread of diseases, allows them to notify people of spraying, and so on. Whether you're getting your money's worth is a valid discussion, but there is an actual state agency doing various things related to bees that needs to be funded somehow.

Before last year, you didn't have to register at all if you had fewer than ten hives. Then last year they changed it so that everyone must register and imposed the fee (which is a state fee, not an Alameda County thing).

Then a lot of people complained, mostly about the new fee, so at the last minute they waived the fee for hobby beekeepers, even though we were still supposed to register "for free" last year regardless.

So now this year they can say "it's the same thing as last year", except that they're not waiving the fee...


Joan Houston

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Nov 19, 2025, 3:41:55 PMNov 19
to The Alameda County Beekeepers Association

It seems to change every year. Last year fee waived; years prior it was like $10-20 for <50 hives (hobbyist). I register every year regardless just so I can post the FieldWatch signs w/reg# at my apiaries since one is at a local winery and one is at a local nursery.

Gerald Przybylski

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Nov 19, 2025, 4:41:41 PMNov 19
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I think there are thousands of east-bay beekeeper/bee-havers who will never hear about this program.
(ACBA has 500+ members. MDBA a similar number)
The Ag department has no way of informing them.  

What's with penalizing the beekeepers that register 10 to 50 hives. Their rate is twice as high as the 1-9 group.

(500 and up) commercial scale beekeepers are charged next to nothing. 

There doesn't seem to be any benefit for the beekeeper described in either the brochure or the email announcement. 
Who are we subsidizing? 
--

Norma

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Nov 19, 2025, 7:34:31 PMNov 19
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IF my memory serves me, it was 5-7 years ago that a representative
from the County spoke at our meeting and explained the registration of
our hives. I did register that year, but not since. Elinor, I
thought this is what you were working on for the last 2-3 years in
order for the fees be more fair to hobbyist beekeepers? It appears
that just the opposite has occurred and I can imagine you are not
happy with this.
> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/the-alameda-county-beekeepers-association/960172c5-e8ff-42b0-83d9-68ff27a041c7%40gmail.com.

Catherine Edwards

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Nov 19, 2025, 8:03:57 PMNov 19
to Alameda County Beekeepers Assn.
I wonder two things: where does the money go and what is it used for? Also, is there a stated penalty for not registering? 

Catherine Edwards

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/the-alameda-county-beekeepers-association/CAO7hSx0QLkV89AvjcwmYPnEw3CLZXdhnr8b48oEF1LdTxiubUg%40mail.gmail.com.

Mimi

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Nov 20, 2025, 1:55:32 PMNov 20
to the-alameda-county-b...@googlegroups.com, Beekeepers Assn. Alameda County
They are putting in policies that encourages hobbyists to go underground.  It also impacts sideliner and commercial apiaries gets ALL the benefits because the government is mainly concerned about bees in commercial pollination services.  

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 19, 2025, at 8:36 AM, 'Elinor Levine' via The Alameda County Beekeepers Association <the-alameda-county-b...@googlegroups.com> wrote:


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<Beekeeper Registration Flyer 2026 - Final (corrected).pdf>

Nils Joseph Kauffman

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Nov 20, 2025, 3:17:38 PMNov 20
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“Beekeeping as a subversive activity” I never thought of it that way. 
Nils


On Thursday, November 20, 2025, Mimi <mimi...@gmail.com> wrote:
They are putting in policies that encourages hobbyists to go underground.  It also impacts sideliner and commercial apiaries gets ALL the benefits because the government is mainly concerned about bees in commercial pollination services.  

Sent from my iPhone
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to the-alameda-county-beekeepers-association+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

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