Any person owning or possessing bees shall on or before the first day of June of each year, or thereafter within ten days after coming into ownership or possession of bees, or upon moving bees into this state from outside the state, file with the director of agriculture an application for registration setting forth the exact location of his apiaries and the number of colonies of bees in each apiary, together with such other information as is required by the director, and accompanied by a registration fee of five dollars for each separate apiary owned or possessed by him at time of registration. Any person who submits his application after the dates specified by this section, or after the dates specified in rules adopted by the director, shall be subject to a ten-dollar late filing fee in addition to the five-dollar registration fee. Upon acceptance of the application, the director shall issue to such person a certificate of registration. All certificates issued in accordance with this section expire on the thirty-first day of May next following date of issuance or renewal, and shall be renewed according to the standard renewal procedure of sections 4745.01 to 4745.03 of the Revised Code.

No person shall maintain an apiary located on premises other than that of his residence unless such apiary is identifiable by an apiary identification number assigned to such person by the director. Such identification number shall be posted in a conspicuous location in the apiary. The moving, raising, and production of bees, beeswax, honey, and honey products shall be deemed an agricultural pursuit.

Effective Date: 07-01-1989