2019 New Jersey Revised Statutes
Title 4 - Agriculture and Domestic Animals
Section 4:6-24 - Regulation of breeding, keeping of honey bees.

4:6-24 Regulation of breeding, keeping of honey bees.

2. a. The Department of Agriculture shall regulate the breeding and keeping of honey bees and any activities related thereto, including, but not limited to, the use of honey bees for pollination, the reproduction and sale of honey bees, and the production of honey and other apiary products from such bees, and may delegate its monitoring and enforcement authority to a municipality pursuant to subsection b. of section 1 of P.L.2015, c.76 (C.40:48-1.5).

b. Pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), the Department of Agriculture shall adopt any rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of P.L.2015, c.76 (C.40:48-1.5 et al.), including but not limited to:

(1) apiary standards for the breeding and keeping of honey bees, the use of honey bees for pollination, the reproduction and sale of honey bees, and the production of honey and other apiary products from such bees; and

(2) standards of administrative procedure for a municipality to monitor and enforce the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this subsection. The standards shall include provisions for the preparation and submittal to the department by the municipality of periodic reports on the results of monitoring and enforcement activities undertaken by the municipality.

c. When developing the standards adopted pursuant to subsection b. of this section, the Department of Agriculture shall consult with the New Jersey League of Municipalities, the New Jersey Beekeepers Association, and the Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium, or successor organizations with similar purposes. The standards shall reflect consideration of:

(1) the population densities in rural, suburban, and urban areas of the State;

(2) the densities and intensities of development and differing land uses in communities throughout the State; and

(3) any other characteristics of various regions of the State that the department determines to be significant to the regulation of apiary activities in the State.

L.2015, c.76, s.2.