> From: Joe Miller
>
> It seems that some beekeepers qualify for benefits as a business, farm
> enterprise, etc.. in ways that I do not know about.  I have heard that if
> you pollinate with 25 hives you qualify for commercial license plates.  I
> have heard that farmers do not need building permits and 110 mph
> structures also.  And somebody mentioned something about "right to farm
> laws" that meant they could keep bees wherever they wanted.
> So having said these things, my question is:  What do the readers of this
> forum know about such things?  I expect some of these things are state
> specific,

Commercial license plates usually cost more (in states I have been in),
insurance rates are higher also, states that don't collect personal property
tax on your vehicle usually do if you have commercial plates, etc.  On the
other hand, you can depreciate the vehicle and take off actual expenses (in
proportion to personal use), rather than straight mileage.  of course, you
can do that with only one hive, so long as you show a profit and persuit of
a profit 3 years out of 5 (hard to do with even 25 hives, perhaps).  I doubt
that having any number of hives exempts you from building codes -- but barns
generally have lesser requirements than houses (but you might have to have
separate bathroom facilities for your now commercial enterprise, with
handicapped access and parking).

Right to farm and farmer exemptions can apply no matter how many hives you
have, depending on the state (TN requires 15 contiguous acres and over $1500
value of goods produced (not profit or sales -- you could produce $1500 of
hay) and gives you a reduction in property taxes).  Some states specifically
exempt livestock (usually including bees) from being declared a nuisance,
unless they cause problems.  Also in TN, if you are involuntarily annexed
you cannot be forced to cease using your property in the same manner as
before annexaction, so long as it was within the previous zoning
restrictions (so, if you had pigs and bees and get annexed, you get to keep
them and even add chickens, as you keep your agricultural zoning -- one
fairly local person had a lion/big cat refuge and the county tried to amend
the wording on the zoning they were in (which permitted exotic cats with a
proper state permit) and create a new zoning that they did not qualify for
which allowed big cats (in an attempt to circumvent this state law) --
didn't work and they cat refuge is still there and has more cats than ever.

Many benefits can be yours if you just run your hobby as a business (don't
give all the honey away to friends, attempt to make sales and a profit, keep
good books, don't buy extravagant items you can't justify for your size,
etc), while others may only be available due to the amount of land you have
or the sales level you attain.  To learn about then, check the code books
that most states have online now, call your county property assesor or clerk
or check with a librarian (who mostly still know how to find things that
aren't online yet).

Karen Oland