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EAC approves beekeeping zoning amendment, sends measure to City Council
Summary
The Reading Environmental Advisory Council voted to approve a revised beekeeping zoning amendment and forward it to City Council for review and public hearings. The changes clarify permitting order, expand the definition of nearby animal shelters, and add sales and home‑occupation language.
The Reading Environmental Advisory Council on Tuesday voted to approve a revised beekeeping zoning amendment and send it to City Council for consideration and public hearings.
The amendment requires beekeepers to hold required state permitting through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture before obtaining any city zoning permit; clarifies an exception for preexisting apiaries; broadens language about proximity to kennels to include animal shelters for pets; retains a numerical limit and exceptions process for hive counts; and clarifies that any on‑site sales of honey must meet home‑occupation rules and other city approvals.
The revision swaps the order of permit requirements so state registration with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is listed before the city zoning permit, a change committee members said better reflects regulatory authority. The draft also removes a provision that would have referenced a local beekeeping organization as a certifying body and instead relies on state permitting and the city’s nuisance and zoning processes for follow up.
EAC members debated the distance requirement from areas where animals are kept. Some members said the language as revised could exclude small urban lots; others said a larger buffer (50 feet) helps prevent neighbor conflicts when animals are kept in yards. Members discussed a possible compromise distance of 30 feet but did not change the numeric buffer at this meeting.
The amendment also tightens how sales are treated: if an apiary operator plans to sell honey, they must obtain the city approvals that apply to home‑based businesses (health permit, business privilege license and, if selling on site, a zoning/home‑occupation permit). Committee members recommended rewording one sentence to place the ‘‘if the operator plans to sell honey’’ clause at the start for clarity.
City staff member Shelley said the zoning office will circulate the EAC’s vote and the small edits to the planning commission; by ordinance the planning commission will review zoning amendments and council must hold public hearings before a final vote.
The EAC motion to approve the amended beekeeping language and forward it to council passed unanimously.
The council review will include a planning commission review and at least one public hearing before council consideration; the EAC said it expects to provide a brief presentation when the amendment reaches council.
What’s next: the zoning office and planning commission will complete their reviews and calendar the item for council public hearings and a final vote. If council requests clarifications, the EAC said it will attend to answer questions.
