Louisiana (LA)
On the runs: Southeast to Gulf to California
Record held: 37 fields — 22 published, 15 not published / not yet checked.
This is a thin record because the state publishes little of this layer. What it publishes is below; every field it does not publish is marked plainly instead of filled in. A short page with honest gaps is the right page for this state.
Regulator
StateLouisiana
RegulatorLouisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
Regulator typeDepartment of agriculture division (dept-of-agriculture-division)
Regulator contactLouisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry — Apiary Programs • 5825 Florida Blvd., Suite 1003, Baton Rouge, LA 70806 • (225) 952-8100 • Fax (225) 925-3760 • horticulture@ldaf.state.la.us (as published on LDAF's New Apiary Permit Registration/Application, form AES-22-35).
Instruments
Registration (louisiana.registration-permit-class-a-b · issued by the destination side)
Fee$0 (per-year) — Fee table by number of colonies owned, Class A / Class B (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2305(D)): 1 to 10 colonies: $0 / $16.00; 11 to 25 colonies: $4.00 / $16.00; 26 to 100 colonies: $10.00 / $40.00; 101 to 300 colonies: $20.00 / $80.00; 301 to 500 colonies: $30.00 / $120.00; 501 or more colonies: $50.00 / $200.00. On transfer of colonies, the registration permit may be transferred to the acquiring beekeeper without payment of a registration fee (§ 3:2305(B)).
Validity windowAnnual: all permits expire September 30th of each year (LDAF New Apiary Permit Registration/Application instructions).
Notice deadlineNot published / not yet checked
Lead timeOn or before October 1 of each year, or prior to bringing any honeybees or beekeeping equipment into the state, every beekeeper shall register with the commissioner every colony or apiary in his possession or under his control (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2305(A)(1)).
What the certificate must stateBeekeepers are designated Class A or Class B permit holders. Class A eligibility: domiciled in Louisiana, or held a Class B permit for three consecutive violation-free years (a violation resets the count to year one). A Class A holder may keep or move bees within Louisiana in new or used equipment, apply for an inspection to move bees, move bees out of Louisiana on a department certificate of inspection, and move bees into Louisiana accompanied by an origin inspection certificate. A Class B holder may keep or move bees within Louisiana only if established in Louisiana and obtained from a department-registered beekeeper, and may bring in certified combless packages and new (not used) equipment; a Class B holder must keep his yard at least two miles from any other bee yard for the three-year qualification period, give the department a map and GPS coordinates of his yard each year at registration, and be inspected each of the three years and found free of regulated pests and diseases. Registration permits do not by themselves allow the holder to move bees or regulated articles as provided for with a certificate of inspection (LAC Title 7, Part XV, Section 507).
Origin history requiredNot published / not yet checked
Who applies / who signsEvery beekeeper registers with the commissioner on a form furnished by the commissioner, indicating the number and location of each colony with each apiary location and other information required by the commissioner (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2305(A)(1)). LDAF's application form states that Louisiana residents use Class A fees and nonresidents use Class B fees, and that an application is required even if no fee is due (LDAF form AES-22-35).
Health / inspection certificate (louisiana.entry-certificate-class-a · issued by the origin side)
FeeNot published / not yet checked
Validity windowThe certificate of inspection shall be based upon an actual inspection of the bees to be shipped or moved made within a period of sixty (60) days preceding the date of shipment into Louisiana (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2306(B)).
Notice deadlineNot published / not yet checked
Lead timeNot published / not yet checked
What the certificate must stateThe certificate of inspection, signed by the state entomologist, state apiary inspector, or similar official of the state or country of origin, must certify the apparent freedom of the honeybees or beekeeping equipment from contagious or infectious diseases and pests, based on an actual inspection within 60 days preceding shipment (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2306(B)).
Origin history requiredNot published / not yet checked
Who applies / who signsHoneybees and used or secondhand beekeeping equipment may be shipped or moved into Louisiana only by a person possessing a Class A permit (see the registration instrument), and only when accompanied by the origin certificate of inspection (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2306(A), (B)). Where no official apiary inspector or state entomologist is available in the state or country of origin, the commissioner, by rule, may permit shipment into Louisiana on presentation of suitable evidence showing the bees to be free from disease (§ 3:2306(D)).
Health / inspection certificate (louisiana.entry-certificate-class-b-combless · issued by the origin side)
FeeNot published / not yet checked
Validity windowThe certificate of inspection shall be based upon an actual inspection of the bees to be shipped or moved made within a period of sixty (60) days preceding the date of shipment into Louisiana (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2306(C)).
Notice deadlineNot published / not yet checked
Lead timeNot published / not yet checked
What the certificate must stateThe certificate of inspection, signed by the state entomologist, state apiary inspector, or similar official of the state or country of origin, must certify the apparent freedom of the combless honeybees from contagious or infectious diseases, based on an actual inspection within 60 days preceding shipment (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2306(C)).
Origin history requiredNot published / not yet checked
Who applies / who signsCombless honeybees may be shipped or moved into Louisiana only by a person possessing a Class B permit, and only when accompanied by the origin certificate of inspection (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2306(A), (C)). LAC Title 7, Part XV, Section 507(C)(2) states the same permission as: keep or move bees obtained as a certified combless package from the state of origin into Louisiana, and move new — not used — beekeeping equipment into Louisiana.
Health / inspection certificate (louisiana.movement-certificate-of-inspection · issued by the destination side)
FeeNot published / not yet checked
Validity windowNot published / not yet checked
Notice deadlineNot published / not yet checked
Lead timeBeekeepers who desire a certificate authorizing movement shall apply to the commissioner for inspection prior to any movement of the bees or used beekeeping equipment (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2307(A)). The commissioner, by rule, prescribes the time and manner of making application for inspection (§ 3:2307(B)); no day count is published in the statute.
What the certificate must stateNo bees or used beekeeping equipment shall be moved unless accompanied by a certificate of inspection by the state entomologist (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2307(A)). LAC Title 7, Part XV, Section 507(E): the permits issued for annual registration shall not allow the holder to move bees or regulated articles as is provided for with a certificate of inspection.
Origin history requiredNot published / not yet checked
Who applies / who signsThe beekeeper applies to the commissioner for inspection before the movement; the certificate of inspection is issued by the state entomologist (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2307(A)). Under § 3:2307(C) the commissioner, by rule, may impose an inspection fee schedule, provided the fee does not exceed the actual costs involved in the performance of the inspection; no fee amount is published in the statute.
Moving bees — the rules around the instruments
Passing throughNo pass-through exemption is published in La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2306. Except as otherwise permitted in that section, the movement or shipment into Louisiana of colonies of bees, nuclei, comb packages of bees, or used or secondhand beekeeping equipment is prohibited (§ 3:2306(F)). Entry is permitted only as provided in § 3:2306 — to a holder of a Class A permit with an origin certificate of inspection, or, for combless honeybees only, to a holder of a Class B permit with an origin certificate of inspection (§ 3:2306(B), (C)).
Border and destination inspectionThe state entomologist, or his agents or employees, may enter any depot, express office, storeroom, warehouse, or other premises in Louisiana in order to inspect any honeybees or beekeeping equipment when there is probable cause to believe the bees or equipment are infected with a contagious or infectious disease or were transported into the state in violation of the Part; no person shall interfere with such entry or inspection (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2308).
County layerNot published / not yet checked
Recognition of other states' certificatesThe commissioner may inspect any honeybees or beekeeping equipment being shipped into Louisiana even if accompanied by a certificate of inspection issued by another state. If such an inspection reveals the presence of contagious or infectious disease, the commissioner may declare a moratorium on Louisiana's recognition of any certificate of inspection issued by that state until the commissioner determines that the standards of inspection of that state are adequate to ensure the health and safety of Louisiana honeybees at least equal to the standards established by Louisiana (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2306(E)).
Consequences, as publishedThe commissioner may impose a civil penalty of up to five hundred dollars ($500) for each violation of the Part or of rules adopted under it; each day a violation occurs or continues is a separate offense and violation. A penalty may be assessed only by a ruling of the commissioner based on an adjudicatory hearing held in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, and the commissioner may institute civil proceedings in the district court for the parish in which the violation occurred (La. Rev. Stat. § 3:2310). Bees or equipment brought into the state in violation may also be ordered removed from the state, and infected bees or equipment destroyed, treated, or disinfected, under § 3:2308.
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