Vermont Beekeeping Laws: Registration, Spacing & Imports

Vermont requires registration of all apiaries and an annual $10 fee for each location, including small hobby yards. VAAFM’s registration guidance says new accounts are due upon owning bees and existing keepers must submit renewals by June 30.

Register the actual yard locations and ask the agency to review a new site on someone else’s property before moving colonies there. If ordering bees from outside Vermont, start the import process early. Check parcel permission separately through the address-level legal checklist.

Prepare the Annual Yard Record

The annual report covers locations, colony counts, disease findings, incoming colonies or used equipment, bee rearing for sale, and a current Varroa and pest-mitigation plan for each yard. Chapter 172 also requires prompt notification of detected American foulbrood or another designated disease.

Task	Requirement to check	Preparation
Initial registration	Due upon ownership	Exact locations and colony counts
Annual renewal	June 30 deadline; $10 per apiary	Current report and pest-management plan
New yard on another person’s land	Spacing review and applicable exception	Coordinates and written permission
Importing bees or used equipment	Advance notification, permit and certificate	Origin inspection and arrival schedule

Describe the pest-management plan in terms you can carry out and record. Keep the yard’s observations and management records together so the plan can be updated when conditions change. An annual plan should not be confused with a guarantee that the colonies are healthy on a later shipping date.

The Two-Mile Rule Has Exceptions

Section 3034 generally prevents locating an apiary within two miles of an existing apiary registered to a different person. Exceptions include your own property, keepers owning 10 or fewer colonies in total, certain existing registered sites, and specified permission or neighboring-colony-count situations.

Do not read the distance rule as a universal ban on two nearby backyard keepers. Supply the agency with your total ownership and proposed location, then ask which exception applies. A spacing exception also does not provide landowner permission or settle every local parcel question.

Keep a copy of the agency’s location decision with the registration. Recheck the proposal when expanding or moving a yard rather than assuming an earlier decision covers a different site or operation.

Import Notice, Certificate and Permit

The agency’s import form requires notification at least 14 days before arrival and a valid origin health certificate at least 10 days before arrival. It explicitly states that the application is not a legal entry permit.

Section 3032 requires an approved permit and an origin inspection certificate based on inspection within the previous 45 days, with its through-shipment exception. The old short-distance return exemption in subsection (d) is repealed. Arrange timing with the agency rather than assuming a returning colony is automatically exempt.

Coordinate the inspection date, application and expected arrival before confirming delivery. List packages, nucs, full colonies and used equipment accurately. If the shipment or date changes, ask whether the issued documents still cover it.

Equipment and Bee Sales

Chapter 172 requires removable frames, subject to its exhibition-permit provision, and an inspection within 45 days before a sale by a person rearing bees for sale. Ask the agency to classify the intended activity before advertising stock or selecting an unconventional hive.

Keep suspect comb separate while obtaining qualified assessment, and review our American foulbrood guide for observation planning. If selling honey, work through the home honey-business guide and confirm the food-sales requirements separately.

Legal and safety alert: File the registration, resolve the yard location and obtain the actual import approval before moving bees. An application receipt is not the issued permit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I reserve a Vermont off-property yard before registering it?

Have the agency review the proposed location and any applicable spacing exception before committing. Supply coordinates, colony counts and landowner permission, and retain the decision.

Does Vermont’s import notification form serve as a permit?

No. The form expressly says it is not a legal entry permit. Plan time to obtain the issued approval and required health documents before arrival.