>
> To be clear, it doesn't sound like the city of Mt. Pearl is charging $350
> for a beekeeping license. It sounds more like they're requiring a rezoning
> for beekeeping activities.
>
Most locations have zoning ordinances. If a city approves beekeeping in the
states, they typically pre-approve it for a certain class of zoned land
uses. There are typically limits to that approval (certain number of
beehives per square foot of land, located in certain areas, ect.). These
obviously have little, if no concern to larger agricultural tracts, which
are zoned differently. For most locations in the US, the laws are publicly
available and you as an individual are allowed to look them up and make
sure you're in compliance (here's one for Greensboro, NC
http://www.guilfordbeekeepers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Greensboro-Bee-Ordinance.pdf).
No oversight or approval is typically required, provided it complies with
the zoning ordinance. If the city gets a complaint, they get involved and
either issue a fine or require someone to get in compliance. Some locations
(Cary, NC) require you to submit an application, so the local government
can confirm that your plan is in compliance before you have bees. The fee
they charge is to offset the time it takes someone to look over the
application, at least in theory.
Other locations have annual fees or licenses for beekeeping, to offset the
administrative costs associated with having the state manage the bee
populations (state inspectors, certificates, record keeping, what have
you). Along with a few other political reasons (not having hives too close
together, for example). Although this is very different from zoning
ordinance concerns.
Here, it looks like Mt Pearl is treating each and every application to keep
bees on a piece of property as if you had to rezone that individual plot of
land to allow bees. Same as if I wanted to put a convenience mart in a
residential area. I'd have to get it rezoned, have a public hearing,
provide public notice, allow neighbors to object, ect. If that's what has
to be done in Mt Pearl, that $350 cost actually appears fair. Its a long,
drawn out process to get all the notices out and approval received.
It isn't as if they are targeting beekeepers per se. Those fees are the
same fees any individual that wants to "rezone" a piece of property, or
perform a special activity at a location. Of course, it shouldn't HAVE to
be done that way, as no one else deals with beekeepers that way. I would
suspect if you give examples of pre-approved beekeeping activities in other
municipalities to Mt Pearl, they could do more with that than if you
complained about the fees.
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