Zoning By-law Update – Beekeeping & Backyard Chickens

Zoning By-law Update – Beekeeping & Backyard Chickens

We’ve noticed a number of posts online recently sharing inaccurate information about the Township’s zoning by-law review. While we typically avoid engaging in social media debates, we want to clear up a few key points so that residents have the facts.

Beekeeping Currently, beekeeping is only permitted on properties zoned for farms. That means if you live on a Rural Residential (RR) property, or a Rural property smaller than 2 hectares (5 acres), you are not currently allowed to keep bees.

The proposed changes would allow beekeeping in some non-farm areas. If your lot is at least 0.4 hectares (1 acre), you could keep up to 5 hives—even if your property isn’t zoned as a farm—subject to some location-based restrictions. There is no change for properties zoned for farming: beekeeping remains fully permitted with no limit on hives.

Backyard Chickens There is no change to the current rules regarding backyard chickens. Some posts are mixing up different by-laws, which is leading to confusion. The zoning provisions for backyard chickens remain exactly the same in the proposed by-law—word for word.

Want More Info? A simplified summary of the proposed changes (“CliffsNotes” style) is available for download, and a public meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday. All the accurate details can be found by clicking the link below.
County of Renfrew: Township of McNab/Braeside New Proposed Comprehensive Zoning By-law

We strongly encourage residents to reach out to us directly if you have questions—we’re happy to help and provide accurate information.