Spokane County Zoning Code Working Copy.

RCW 36.70A.011.

The legislature finds that to retain and enhance the job base in rural areas, rural counties must have flexibility to create opportunities for business development. Further, the legislature finds that rural counties must have the flexibility to retain existing businesses and allow them to expand. The legislature recognizes that not all business developments in rural counties require an urban level of services; and that many businesses in rural areas fit within the definition of rural character identified by the local planning unit.

RCW 36.70A.070(5)

A county should foster land use patterns and develop a local vision of rural character that will: Help preserve rural-based economies and traditional rural lifestyles; encourage the economic prosperity of rural residents; foster opportunities for small-scale, rural-based employment and self-employment; permit the operation of rural-based agricultural, commercial, recreational, and tourist businesses that are consistent with existing and planned land use patterns; be compatible with the use of the land by wildlife and for fish and wildlife habitat; foster the private stewardship of the land and preservation of open space; and enhance the rural sense of community and quality of life.

RCW 15.62.010(6).

• Increasing the consumption of products of the honey bee industry and promoting the use of its services and stabilizing the honey bee industry within the state and nation is a valid and necessary exercise of the power of the state to protect the public health, to provide for the economic development of the state, and to promote the welfare of the people of the state;
• Honey bee industry products produced and services provided in Washington make an important contribution to the agricultural industry of the state of Washington. The business of researching, marketing, and distributing such products and the promotion of its services is in the public interest;
• It is necessary to stabilize the Washington honey bee industry, to enlarge its markets, and increase the consumption of Washington honey bee industry products and services to assure the payment of taxes to the state and its subdivisions, to alleviate unemployment, and to provide for higher wage scales for agricultural labor and maintenance of a reasonable standard of living;
• It is necessary to protect the public by educating it on the various benefits of honey bee industry services, the food value of its products, and their industrial and medicinal uses.

The Comprehensive Plan of each county or city that is adopted...shall be coordinated with, and consistent with, the Comprehensive Plans adopted pursuant to RCW 36.70A.040 of other counties or cities with which the county or city has, in part, common borders or related regional issues.” RCW 36.70A.100, Spokane County Comprehensive Plan A-1.

County will work with many of these jurisdictions to develop land use plans and interlocal agreements for managing development in the joint planning areas. Id at A-2.

Other zoning resources
LSU Model Beekeeping Ordinance This publication includes information on inspection, proper care, maintenance registration, number of colonies, site selection and rules for correct beekeeping.

Proposed amendment for Vancouver B.C. The changes were recently adopted and currently urban beekeeping is regulated and promoted in the city.

Policy Report - Hobby Beekeeping (Urban Apiculture) in Vancouver

Free Online Legal Resources:
Overview of Municipal Animal Control Ordinances Michigan State University College of Law: Animal Legal & Historical Web Center

AnimalLaw.com AnimalLaw.com provides access to legislation and legal matters pertaining to the rights and welfare of animals. AnimalLaw.com supports information concerning animal cruelty, animal control, laboratory animal welfare, the use of animals in education, product testing and in the laboratory, animal control issues, and general animal welfare.

www.beesource.com/eob/laws/court.htm
Significant court cases used in other states as precedents of law


Urban Beekeeping Articles:
A taste of honey Urban beekeeping may already be buzzing in a neighborhood near you.
By Kert Fisher

Beekeeping in the city: That urban buzz you hear is not just the local gossip
By Stefanie Cohen

City dwellers get a buzz from the simple joy of beekeeping
By Amelia Hill - Sunday April 11, 2004 The Observer

Urban Beekeepers are keeping the honeybee alive and well in San Francisco
By Gregory Dicum, Special to SF Gate

The Secret Life of New York Bees
By Kate Hinds


Cities that allow and regulate urban beekeeping:
San Diego, CA Municipal Code - Beekeeping

Fort Collins, CO Municipal Code - Beekeeping

Boise, ID Municipal Code - Beekeeping

Seattle, WA Municipal Code - Beekeeping

Citrus Heights, CA - Urban Beekeeping

Sacremento, CA - Beekeeping