Certificate of zoning compliance required

No one shall engage in apiculture without first obtaining a zoning certificate as provided for in this section. A certificate of zoning shall not be issued until the applicant submits proof of registration of the apiary with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Agriculture.

• • (1) Information required. Applicants seeking to engage in apiculture must provide the following on the site plan and/or in accompanying documentation in conjunction with an application for a zoning certificate:

    • a. A copy of a current, valid apiary registration application to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Agriculture, and proof that they have also notified and/or provided the city's animal control officer with a copy of said registration application.

    • b. Property owner name and address, assessors map block and parcel and existing structures on the lot.

    • c. Location of hive(s) showing setbacks; location of roads, sidewalks and rights-of-way in relation to the location of the hive(s).

    • d. Location of and manner of fencing of flyways, if required under section 19-317(b)(8) [19-316(d)(8)].

    • e. Location of required water source.

    • f. Any other relevant information related to the operation of the apiary, if requested by the zoning officer.

    • g. If the hive(s) shall be located on a rooftop, the applicant shall also apply for a building permit and provide all information required for such by the building official.

  • (2) Operation. It shall be presumed for purposes of this section that the beekeeper is the person or persons who own or otherwise have the present right of possession and control of the lot upon which a hive or hives are situated. The certificate of zoning authorizing such use shall be recorded in the city's land evidence records at the expense of the applicant. This shall not be changed but by a written agreement authorizing another person to maintain the colony or colonies upon the lot setting forth the name, address, and telephone number of the other person who is acting as the beekeeper, which is reviewed for a certificate of zoning and which shall then be recorded in the city's land evidence records at the expense of the applicant.

(Ch. 506, § VIII, 7-20-10)