Parker joined the ranks of Colorado municipalities to allow and promote urban beekeeping with the adoption of a new Town ordinance on Oct. 11, 2015. The ordinance is available to view online (PDF).
Please review the municipal ordinance for Parker and its requirements. If your lot is at least 5,000 square feet, you may have two backyard beehives located at least five feet from your property line. Remember to "bee" a good neighbor.
Citizens should always check with their homeowners’ associations (HOAs) before getting involved with beekeeping. HOAs may impose additional requirements on beekeepers or prohibit the practice altogether, despite the Town’s ordinance approving beekeeping.
Beekeeping is a fascinating hobby. Besides the benefit of producing honey, bees are terrific garden pollinators and beneficial to our environment. Honeybees need our help - in 2014 about 40% of bee colonies died in Colorado and no one really knows why.
If you are interested in becoming a beekeeper, here are some tips: