Tennessee Apiary Act

The act regulates beekeeping and the keeping, sale, and movement of honeybees, directed primarily at limiting the spread of bee diseases, pests, and substances harmful to bees. It creates a state apiarist charged with registering apiaries, running inspection and certification programs, entering into cooperative agreements, and issuing rules, backed by authority to require reporting of disease or pests, impose quarantines, permit or certify shipments of bees and used beekeeping equipment, and seize or destroy infested colonies, with indemnity available for property destroyed. It also imposes practical requirements on beekeepers — hives with movable frames, restrictions on where and how colonies may be kept, and standards for storing and handling honey — and provides for fees, penalties for unlawful activities, and the allocation of liability for personal injury or property damage.

Editorial summary generated from the text of this act. It is not part of the statute — read the sections below for the operative language.