La. Admin. Code tit. 7 § XV-507

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section XV-507 - Annual Registration and Designation of Class A and B Permits (Formerly LAC 7:XXI.2503)

A. Beekeepers will be designated as class A or class B permit holders. To be eligible for a class A permit, an applicant must either:

1. be domiciled in this state; or

2. have held a class B permit for three consecutive violation-free years. If violations are incurred at any time during this three-year period, the class B permit holder will automatically be placed back at year one, pending payment of any fines levied against him by the commissioner.

B. The holder of a class A permit may do the following:

1. keep or move bees within Louisiana in new or used beekeeping equipment;

2. apply to the department for an inspection for the purpose of moving bees;

3. move bees out of Louisiana upon receiving a certificate of inspection from the department; and

4. move bees into Louisiana as long as bees are accompanied by an inspection certificate from the state of origin.

C. The holder of a class B permit may do the following:

1. keep or move bees within Louisiana as long as the bees or equipment are established in Louisiana and are obtained from a beekeeper registered with the department;

2. keep or move bees obtained as a combless package that have been certified from the state of origin into Louisiana and move new, but not used, beekeeping equipment into Louisiana; and

3. apply to the department for a certificate of inspection for the purpose of determining the general health of the bees and to establish that the bees are not in violation of any apiary laws or regulations. This certificate of inspection will not confer authority on a class B permit holder to move bees.

D. The holder of a class B permit shall do the following:

1. maintain his yard or apiary a minimum of two miles from any other bee yard or apiary for three consecutive violation-free years. However, any registered beekeeper who owns property may locate his or her own apiary anywhere on that property. The holder of a class B permit must be able to demonstrate that he made reasonable efforts to ascertain and ensure that his bee yard or apiary would not be set up within a two mile radius of an existing bee yard or apiary. The holder of a class B permit may move his yard or apiary within two miles of an existing yard or apiary if the owner of the existing apiary gives written permission;

2. provide the department with a map and the GPS coordinates of his bee yard or apiary every year at the time when the bees are registered with the department; and

3. apply for an inspection of the bees and be inspected for three consecutive years and be found free of any regulated pests of diseases during those years.

E. Permits issued for registration shall not allow the holder to move bees or regulated articles as is provided for with a certificate of inspection.

F. Failure to register colonies of bees in the state of Louisiana is a violation of this Part.

La. Admin. Code tit. 7, § XV-507

Promulgated by the Department of Agriculture, LR 11:517 (May 1985), repromulgated by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Office of Animal Health and Food Safety and the Board of Animal Health, LR 40:930 (May 2014), Amended by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Office of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, LR 43511 (3/1/2017).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 3:2305 and R.S. 2:2303.