California Code
Food and Agricultural Code - FAC
DIVISION 13 - BEE MANAGEMENT AND HONEY PRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1 - Bees

ARTICLE 1 - General Provisions

Section 29000. - 29000. The Legislature hereby finds and declares that: A healthy...

Section 29001. - 29001. This chapter shall be known and may be cited...

Section 29002. - 29002. “Apiary” includes bees, comb, hives, appliances, or colonies, wherever...

Section 29003. - 29003. “Appliance” means any implement or other device which is...

Section 29004. - 29004. “Bees” means honey-producing insects of the genus Apis. It...

Section 29005. - 29005. “Board” means the Apiary Board. (Repealed and added by...

Section 29005.5. - 29005.5. “Broker” means a person or entity that receives a...

Section 29006. - 29006. “Colony” means one hive and its contents, including bees,...

Section 29007. - 29007. “Comb” includes all materials which are normally deposited into...

Section 29008. - 29008. “Commissioner” means a county agricultural commissioner. (Repealed and added...

Section 29009. - 29009. “Pest” includes American foulbrood or any other infectious disease,...

Section 29010. - 29010. “Infected,” “infested,” “contaminated,” or “diseased” includes a viable stage...

Section 29011. - 29011. “Hive” means any receptacle or container, or part of...

Section 29012. - 29012. “Inspector” means any person who has received a certificate...

Section 29013. - 29013. “Location” means any premises upon which an apiary is...

ARTICLE 2 - Apiary Board

Section 29020. - 29020. There is in the department the Apiary Board, consisting...

Section 29021. - 29021. Upon the director’s request, the board shall submit to...

Section 29022. - 29022. It is hereby declared, as a matter of legislative...

Section 29023. - 29023. In making his or her selection of the membership...

Section 29024. - 29024. The term of office of the members of the...

Section 29025. - 29025. The secretary may appoint a department representative as the...

Section 29026. - 29026. The board shall be advisory to the director on...

Section 29027. - 29027. The board shall meet at the call of the...

Section 29028. - 29028. Each member of the board shall serve without compensation,...

ARTICLE 3 - Apiary Assessments

Section 29030.5. - 29030.5. The beekeeper, apiary owner, apiary operator, or the person...

Section 29031. - 29031. The assessment fees shall be payable to the director...

Section 29032. - 29032. (a) Any funds collected by the director pursuant to...

ARTICLE 4 - Registration and Identification of Apiaries

Section 29040. - 29040. Every person that is the owner, broker, or is...

Section 29041. - 29041. Notwithstanding the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing...

Section 29042. - 29042. Every person who moves bees into the state or...

Section 29043. - 29043. Registration of an apiary shall be filed with the...

Section 29044. - 29044. (a) Each beekeeper, apiary owner, apiary operator, broker, or...

Section 29045. - 29045. It is unlawful for a person to maintain any...

Section 29046. - 29046. (a) No person shall maintain an apiary on premises...

Section 29047. - 29047. Any person who owns or is in possession of...

Section 29048. - 29048. Any pesticide applicator who experiences any loss because of...

Section 29049. - 29049. The owner of any apiary equipment may apply to...

Section 29050. - 29050. Upon receipt of the application and fee, the director...

Section 29051. - 29051. If a serial number brand is used on wooden...

Section 29052. - 29052. Serial number brands are transferrable. (Added by Stats. 1987,...

Section 29053. - 29053. (a) If the purchaser does not have a registered...

Section 29054. - 29054. If ownership of branded equipment is transferred, the original...

Section 29055. - 29055. It is unlawful for any person to have in...

Section 29056. - 29056. It is unlawful for any person to do any...

Section 29057. - 29057. Any funds collected by the secretary pursuant to this...

ARTICLE 5 - Intrastate Movement

Section 29070. - 29070. (a) Any person relocating a colony of bees from...

Section 29070.5. - 29070.5. Any apiary operator or the apiary operator’s designated representative...

Section 29071. - 29071. It is lawful for any person when under the...

Section 29072. - 29072. No person shall move or transport any bees, comb,...

Section 29073. - 29073. The inspector, in a summary manner, may destroy, where...

Section 29074. - 29074. The secretary, by written permit, subject to conditions the...

ARTICLE 6 - Notification Regions

Section 29080. - 29080. As used in this article and in Article 7...

Section 29080.5. - 29080.5. The director may, after notice and hearing, establish regions...

Section 29081. - 29081. Upon the establishment of a notification region, the director...

Section 29082. - 29082. The coordinator may receive money from any source and...

ARTICLE 7 - Use of Pesticides

Section 29100. - 29100. (a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that bees...

Section 29101. - 29101. (a) Each beekeeper shall report to the commissioner of...

Section 29102. - 29102. (a) The director shall adopt regulations necessary to minimize...

Section 29103. - 29103. Failure of a beekeeper to remove hives from a...

ARTICLE 8 - Quarantine

Section 29110. - 29110. The secretary may adopt by regulation and establish, maintain,...

Section 29111. - 29111. If any quarantine is established pursuant to this article,...

Section 29112. - 29112. If an inspector finds any pest or disease which...

Section 29113. - 29113. If notice that an apiary is being held has...

Section 29114. - 29114. Upon request of the owner of any apiary which...

ARTICLE 9 - Importation

Section 29120. - 29120. Except as otherwise provided in Section 29121, no person...

Section 29121. - 29121. (a) A person may import or transport any of...

Section 29122. - 29122. Except as provided in Section 29123, the certificate required...

Section 29123. - 29123. In lieu of the requirements of Section 29122, the...

Section 29124. - 29124. Any shipment of bees on comb, used hives, or...

Section 29125. - 29125. The certificates required by Section 29120 are valid only...

Section 29126. - 29126. (a) If any bees, comb, hives, or appliances entering...

Section 29127. - 29127. Any American foulbrood disease or other disease found pursuant...

Section 29128. - 29128. After the American foulbrood disease or other disease has...

ARTICLE 10 - Exportation

Section 29140. - 29140. As used in this article, “certificate” means the certification...

Section 29141. - 29141. The board of supervisors of any county may estalish...

Section 29142. - 29142. No fee shall be charged for certification required by...

Section 29143. - 29143. The schedule of fees for the certificates shall be...

Section 29144. - 29144. A commissioner shall make reasonable inspection as may be...

Section 29145. - 29145. It is unlawful for any person to alter, deface,...

ARTICLE 11 - Wax Salvage

Section 29150. - 29150. No person shall remove, salvage, or attempt to salvage,...

Section 29151. - 29151. All wax salvage operations with respect to diseased colonies...

Section 29152. - 29152. The director shall prepare and furnish to interested parties...

Section 29153. - 29153. Any person that desires to maintain and operate a...

Section 29154. - 29154. The director shall make such investigations as the director...

Section 29155. - 29155. A license is good for the calendar year within...

Section 29156. - 29156. Any license which is issued pursuant to this article...

Section 29157. - 29157. To the greatest extent possible, the proceedings for all...

ARTICLE 12 - Sanitation

Section 29170. - 29170. No person shall maintain or operate a diseased colony...

Section 29171. - 29171. No person shall conceal or attempt to conceal the...

Section 29172. - 29172. No person shall sell any diseased bees, comb, hive,...

Section 29173. - 29173. No person shall abandon any diseased apiary. (Added by...

Section 29174. - 29174. No person shall expose to bees any comb or...

Section 29175. - 29175. No person shall extract or render any honey, pollen,...

Section 29176. - 29176. No person shall possess any comb which is not...

Section 29177. - 29177. Any hive or appliance which contains any comb that...

Section 29178. - 29178. No person shall make honey available to bees by...

Section 29179. - 29179. All beekeepers shall provide movable frames in the brood...

Section 29180. - 29180. The inspector shall order the owner, broker, or person...

Section 29181. - 29181. No person shall place, in any combless package of...

ARTICLE 13 - Colony Strength

Section 29190. - 29190. The director may establish a system for certifying colony...

Section 29191. - 29191. The colony strength of a bee colony shall be...

Section 29192. - 29192. The inspection and certification of colony strength of bees...

Section 29193. - 29193. Inspection and certification shall be made at the request...

Section 29194. - 29194. The director may by regulation establish reasonable fees to...

Section 29195. - 29195. The board of supervisors of the county may establish...

ARTICLE 14 - Apiary Inspection

Section 29200. - 29200. The Legislature finds that in order to ensure the...

Section 29201. - 29201. (a) The secretary, or the commissioner, or any inspector...

Section 29202. - 29202. If, in the course of an inspection authorized by...

Section 29203. - 29203. (a) If infestation is found in an apiary, the...

Section 29204. - 29204. Every infested apiary is a public nuisance. The owner,...

Section 29205. - 29205. The notice may be served upon the broker or...

Section 29206. - 29206. If the infestation found in an apiary is American...

Section 29207. - 29207. If American foulbrood is found in an apiary, the...

Section 29208. - 29208. (a) If abatement is by burning or hazardous waste...

Section 29209. - 29209. If the owner, broker, or person in charge or...

Section 29210. - 29210. If an abatement notice as required by this article...

Section 29211. - 29211. In those instances when the inspector has sealed the...

Section 29212. - 29212. The specimen shall be subjected to a laboratory diagnosis...

Section 29213. - 29213. The disease which is named by the director in...

ARTICLE 15 - Enforcement and Penalties

Section 29300. - 29300. The director, and the commissioner of each county under...

Section 29301. - 29301. The director may make any regulations that are reasonable...

Section 29302. - 29302. (a) Unless otherwise stated, it shall be an infraction...

Section 29303. - 29303. It shall be an infraction for any person to...

Section 29304. - 29304. (a) In addition to the penalties outlined in Sections...

Section 29305. - 29305. (a) Any penalties recovered under this chapter, whether criminal...

Section 29306. - 29306. In addition to any other penalty provided for by...

Section 29307. - 29307. Any person who violates any injunctive order issued pursuant...

Section 29308. - 29308. The director shall appoint a supervisor of apiary inspection...

Section 29309. - 29309. Each commissioner is an ex officio state apiary inspector...

Section 29310. - 29310. The director may assign one or more qualified state...

Section 29311. - 29311. The penalties prescribed by this chapter are exclusive and...

Section 29312. - 29312. In any civil action for the wrongful and willful...

Section 29313. - 29313. (a) In lieu of prosecution, and in addition to...

ARTICLE 16 - Africanized Honey Bees

Section 29320. - 29320. The secretary, in consultation with the board, may approve...

Section 29321. - 29321. Any hive or comparable apparatus that is not occupied...

Section 29322. - 29322. (a) The governing board of a city, county, or...

CHAPTER 2 - Honey

ARTICLE 1 - Definitions

Section 29401. - 29401. Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions in this...

Section 29402. - 29402. “Adulterated honey” means any honey to which has been...

Section 29403. - 29403. “Agent” includes broker, commission merchant, auctioneer, solicitor, seller on...

Section 29404. - 29404. “Clean and sound containers” means containers which are virtually...

Section 29405. - 29405. “Comb honey” means honey which is in the comb....

Section 29406. - 29406. “Container” means any box, crate, chest, carton, barrel, keg,...

Section 29407. - 29407. “Crystallized honey” means honey which has assumed a solid...

Section 29408. - 29408. “Deceptive arrangement” or “deceptive display” means any lot, load,...

Section 29409. - 29409. “Deceptive pack” means any container or subcontainer of honey...

Section 29409.5. - 29409.5. “Domestic honey” means comb or extracted honey produced within...

Section 29410. - 29410. “Extracted honey” means honey which has been removed from...

Section 29412. - 29412. “Foreign material” means wax particles, insects, or other materials...

Section 29413. - 29413. (a) “Honey” means the natural sweet substance produced by...

Section 29414. - 29414. “Honeybees” means honey-producing insects of the genus Apis mellifica....

Section 29415. - 29415. “Honeydew” means the dextrorotatory saccharine exudation of plants or...

Section 29415.5. - 29415.5. “Imported honey” means comb or extracted honey imported from...

Section 29416. - 29416. “Mislabeled” means the placing or presence of any false...

Section 29417. - 29417. “Pack,” or “packing” or “packed,” means the arrangement of...

Section 29418. - 29418. “Placard” means any sign, label, or designation, except an...

Section 29419. - 29419. “Section box” means the wood or other frame in...

Section 29420. - 29420. “Slack-filled” means that the contents of any container occupy...

Section 29421. - 29421. “Subcontainer” means any section box or other receptacle which...

ARTICLE 2 - General Provisions

Section 29441. - 29441. The director and the commissioners of each county of...

Section 29442. - 29442. The refusal of any officer who is authorized pursuant...

Section 29443. - 29443. The director may do all of the following: (a)...

Section 29444. - 29444. Any sample which is taken pursuant to this chapter...

Section 29445. - 29445. An enforcing officer may do all of the following:...

Section 29446. - 29446. An enforcing officer shall cause the prosecution of any...

Section 29447. - 29447. Any enforcement officer may, while enforcing this chapter, seize...

Section 29448. - 29448. If any markings are used or required to be...

Section 29449. - 29449. Any person, forwarding company, or common carrier may decline...

Section 29450. - 29450. Any person, forwarding company, or common carrier may reserve...

Section 29451. - 29451. Honey may not be labeled honey or words of...

ARTICLE 3 - Exemptions

Section 29471. - 29471. If the requirements prescribed by this article are satisfied,...

Section 29472. - 29472. The containers of the ungraded honey shall not bear...

Section 29473. - 29473. The owner or person in possession of the ungraded...

Section 29474. - 29474. A person who makes a sworn statement pursuant to...

ARTICLE 4 - Standard Honey Containers

Section 29501. - 29501. The standard units of net weight of honey in...

Section 29502. - 29502. Containers which hold the following units of weight of...

Section 29503. - 29503. When honey is prepared for, and is shipped directly...

Section 29504. - 29504. The director may promulgate regulations to permit the preparation,...

ARTICLE 5 - California Color Standards

Section 29531. - 29531. The classes as to color comprising the California standards...

ARTICLE 6 - Emergency Standards, Containers, Color Classifications, and Markings

Section 29551. - 29551. As used in this article, “emergency standard” means any...

Section 29552. - 29552. The director, upon petition of persons that are interested...

Section 29553. - 29553. Emergency standards shall apply in lieu of the standards...

Section 29554. - 29554. Every emergency standard which is established pursuant to this...

Section 29555. - 29555. No emergency standard shall be construed to modify in...

Section 29556. - 29556. Every emergency standard which is issued pursuant to this...

Section 29557. - 29557. The hearing shall be not less than 10 nor...

Section 29558. - 29558. Notice of hearing shall be mailed not less than...

Section 29559. - 29559. At the hearing, interested parties shall be heard and...

Section 29560. - 29560. The director, upon his findings on the facts shown...

Section 29561. - 29561. Any emergency standard may be amended, suspended, or rescinded...

ARTICLE 7 - Comb Honey

Section 29581. - 29581. All comb honey shall be conspicuously marked, either on...

Section 29582. - 29582. All comb honey shall meet the requirements of the...

Section 29583. - 29583. Any container of comb honey which is marked as...

Section 29584. - 29584. Opaque containers of bulk or chunk comb honey shall...

Section 29585. - 29585. If comb honey is in crystallized form, a sample...

Section 29586. - 29586. In order to allow for variations which are incident...

Section 29587. - 29587. Comb honey which has crystallized shall be conspicuously marked...

ARTICLE 8 - Extracted Honey

Section 29611. - 29611. Every container or subcontainer of extracted honey shall be...

Section 29612. - 29612. All extracted honey shall meet the requirements of the...

Section 29613. - 29613. Any container of extracted honey which is marked as...

Section 29614. - 29614. If extracted honey is in crystallized form, a sample...

Section 29615. - 29615. All extracted honey regardless of grade term as marked,...

Section 29616. - 29616. In order to allow for variations which are incident...

Section 29617. - 29617. If the color of extracted honey is designated on...

Section 29618. - 29618. Any honey which is a blend of two or...

Section 29619. - 29619. Any slack-filled container shall be conspicuously marked “slack-filled.” (Enacted...

Section 29620. - 29620. Extracted honey in containers which hold five ounces or...

ARTICLE 9 - Labeling of Honey as to Origin and Flavor

Section 29641. - 29641. Any container or subcontainer of extracted honey which is...

Section 29642. - 29642. A container or subcontainer of comb or extracted honey...

Section 29643. - 29643. Every container and subcontainer of imported honey shall be...

Section 29644. - 29644. If the floral flavor of comb or extracted honey...

ARTICLE 10 - Violations

Section 29671. - 29671. It is unlawful for any person to prepare, pack,...

Section 29672. - 29672. It is unlawful for any person to prepare, pack,...

Section 29673. - 29673. It is unlawful for any person to mislabel any...

Section 29674. - 29674. It is unlawful for any person to place or...

Section 29675. - 29675. (a) It is unlawful for any person to move...

Section 29676. - 29676. (a) It is unlawful for any person to do...

Section 29677. - 29677. It is unlawful for any person to prepare, pack,...

ARTICLE 11 - Criminal Punishment and Procedure

Section 29701. - 29701. (a) Unless otherwise specified, a violation of this chapter...

Section 29702. - 29702. Any prosecution for the violation of any provision of...

Section 29703. - 29703. Any evidence which is taken by any enforcing officer...

ARTICLE 12 - Public Nuisances

Section 29731. - 29731. Any honey which is packed, stored, delivered for shipment,...

Section 29732. - 29732. The enforcement officer may affix a warning tag or...

Section 29733. - 29733. If a packer or owner of honey, or the...

Section 29734. - 29734. If an agent is found in possession of any...

Section 29735. - 29735. It is unlawful for any person to fail to...

CHAPTER 3 - Seedless Mandarin and Honeybee Coexistence Working Group Act

Section 29810. - 29810. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the...

Section 29811. - 29811. (a) Not later than 15 days after enactment of...

Section 29812. - 29812. The secretary shall give the Seedless Mandarin and Honeybee...