Oklahoma (OK)
On the runs: Northern Plains to Texas holding to California
Record held: 37 fields — 23 published, 14 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
StateOklahoma
RegulatorOklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry
Regulator typeDepartment of agriculture division (dept-of-agriculture-division)
Regulator contactFor questions regarding ODAFF apiary licenses, inspections, and complaints, contact Joe Rackley, ODAFF State Survey Coordinator and interim State Apiarist, at (405) 205-2709 or joe.rackley@ag.ok.gov (Oklahoma State University Extension, Honeybees page, which directs apiary questions to ODAFF). The Oklahoma Apiary Act and rules are administered by ODAFF's Consumer Protection Services Division (Oklahoma Apiary Act & Rules, ODAFF).
Instruments
Entry permit (entry-permit · issued by the destination side)
Fee$100 (per-operation) — 'The entry permit fee for migratory beekeepers moving colonies of bees into this state shall be One Hundred Dollars ($100.00).' (OAC 35:2-3-26(b), reprinted in ODAFF's Oklahoma Apiary Act & Rules; the same fee schedule appears at OAC 35:30-38-13). The Act requires an entry inspection fee as established by the Department to be provided prior to entry (§ 2-3-117.1(A)(2)).
Validity windowNot published / not yet checked
Notice deadlineNot published / not yet checked
Lead timePrior to entry, with no number of days published: 'Prior to entry into Oklahoma all migratory beekeepers and persons shipping or transporting bees into Oklahoma shall provide to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry: 1. Information required on an entry form prescribed by the Department; 2. An entry inspection fee as established by the Department; and 3. A copy of the certificate of inspection issued from the state of origin.' (§ 2-3-117.1(A))
What the certificate must stateThe entry-permit application shall include: (1) the name and addresses of the person owning the bees; (2) the name and address of the shipper if different from the owner; (3) a complete description of the shipment; (4) the destination of the shipment; (5) the nearest town and county where the bees shall be located; (6) the legal description of where the bees shall be located; (7) the name and address of the person or land owner receiving the bees; (8) the approximate date of the shipment; and (9) a certificate of inspection signed by the official apiary inspector or entomologist of the state, territory, or country from which the bees are shipped, stating that the bees are apparently free of diseases and pests and based on an actual inspection performed not more than three (3) months prior to the date of shipment (OAC 35:30-38-10(b)).
Origin history requiredNot published / not yet checked
Who applies / who signsAny migratory beekeeper who brings bees into the state shall obtain an entry permit from the Department (OAC 35:30-38-10(a)); the Board has authority to issue entry permits to any person transporting bees or apiary equipment into this state (§ 2-3-101(D)(3)).
Health / inspection certificate (origin-certificate-of-inspection · issued by the origin side)
FeeNot published / not yet checked
Validity windowBased on an actual inspection performed not more than three (3) months prior to the date of shipment: the entry-permit certificate 'shall state that the bees are apparently free of diseases and pests and shall be based on an actual inspection performed not more than three (3) months prior to the date of shipment' (OAC 35:30-38-10(b)(9)).
Notice deadlineA copy of the certificate of inspection issued from the state of origin shall be provided to ODAFF prior to entry (§ 2-3-117.1(A)(3)). A seller shipping bees for sale shall also provide a copy of the certificate of inspection to the purchaser; all other shippers shall retain a copy for the duration the bees remain in Oklahoma and present it to the Department upon request (§ 2-3-117.1(B)-(C)).
Lead timeNot published / not yet checked
What the certificate must stateA certificate of inspection signed by the official apiary inspector or entomologist of the state, territory, or country from which the bees are shipped, stating that the bees are apparently free of diseases and pests (OAC 35:30-38-10(b)(9)). 'Certificate of inspection' is defined as a document issued based on an inspection by the Department or another state or province stating that the apiary, bees, and apiary equipment appear free of bee diseases and pests (§ 2-3-100.1(8)). Any apiary, apiary equipment, bee, or hive shipped or transported interstate shall be accompanied with a certificate of inspection issued by the state of origin (§ 2-3-106(B)).
Origin history requiredNot published / not yet checked
Who applies / who signsThe official apiary inspector or entomologist of the state of origin signs the certificate; the migratory beekeeper or person shipping or transporting bees into Oklahoma provides a copy to ODAFF before entry (OAC 35:30-38-10(b)(9); § 2-3-117.1(A)(3)).
Registration (voluntary-registration · issued by the destination side)
Fee$10 (per-year) — 'The fee for any person registering pursuant to the Oklahoma Apiary Act shall be Ten Dollars ($10.00).' (OAC 35:2-3-26(a)) Registrants pay the fees established by the Board to the Board prior to processing of the registration (§ 2-3-113(C)). By contrast, the entry permit fee for migratory beekeepers moving colonies into the state is $100 (OAC 35:2-3-26(b)).
Validity windowRegistration is renewed annually in practice: registration under the rules is completed by submitting the registration form and fee by January 31 of each year (OAC 35:30-38-3(a)). The Act itself establishes the program as voluntary and states no term (§ 2-3-113).
Notice deadlineNot published / not yet checked
Lead timeNot published / not yet checked
What the certificate must stateUpon registration the Department issues a registration identification number, which a registrant may use on signs or other identification devices in lieu of personal contact information (§ 2-3-113(B)). A certificate of registration is issued containing a registration number which shall be clearly displayed at each apiary location on a permanent sign, with letters and numbers at least one and one-half (1½) inches in height and in a contrasting color (OAC 35:30-38-3(b)). A person who does not register must instead post personal contact information at or near the apiary (§ 2-3-113(B)); the rules require the owner's name, address, and telephone number on a permanent sign (OAC 35:30-38-4).
Origin history requiredNot published / not yet checked
Who applies / who signsVoluntary: the voluntary registration program is available for any person establishing, maintaining, or locating an apiary in this state, for any person shipping bees into this state, and for migratory beekeepers transporting colonies of bees into this state (§ 2-3-113(A)).
Health / inspection certificate (certificate-of-inspection-oklahoma · issued by the origin side)
Fee$10 (per-inspection) — Inspection fees by number of hives listed on the certificate: 1 to 25 hives $10; 26 to 50 hives $25; 51 to 100 hives $50; 101 to 250 hives $75; 251 to 500 hives $100; 501 to 1,000 hives $200; more than 1,000 hives $250 — charged at the time of inspection (OAC 35:2-3-26(c)). Fees are due within thirty (30) days after the inspection is completed; late payment draws a penalty of ten percent (10%) of the amount due or Ten Dollars ($10.00), whichever is greater (OAC 35:2-3-26(e)).
Validity windowNot published / not yet checked
Notice deadlineNot published / not yet checked
Lead timeNot published / not yet checked
What the certificate must stateUpon completion of the requested inspection the Department shall issue a certificate of inspection showing that the apiary, colony, hive, apiary equipment, or premise is either: (1) apparently free of bee diseases or pests, or (2) not free of bee diseases or pests, including a list of all diseases or pests found (§ 2-3-116(B)). Inspection procedure under the rules: hives are selected by a random-number table, and a minimum of fifteen (15) hives must be inspected, or all colonies if fewer than 15 are owned; a minimum of fifteen percent (15%) of the hives to be certified must be opened and inspected (OAC 35:30-38-5(c)).
Origin history requiredNot published / not yet checked
Who applies / who signsA person may request the Department to inspect their apiary, colony, hive, apiary equipment, or premise to obtain a certificate of inspection (§ 2-3-116(A)). The inspection request must be in writing and include the owner's name, address, and telephone number, the number of colonies to be inspected, and the name of the destination state if applicable (OAC 35:30-38-5(b)(1)). Requested inspections are limited to availability of time and personnel (§ 2-3-117(B)).
Moving bees — the rules around the instruments
Passing throughThrough-movement is not exempted; the published transit rule is a securing duty plus the origin-certificate duty: 'Any person moving or transporting colonies into, within, or through the State of Oklahoma shall secure the colonies in a manner that prevents the escape of bees.' (§ 2-3-106(C)) Any apiary, apiary equipment, bee, or hive shipped or transported interstate shall be accompanied with a certificate of inspection issued by the state of origin (§ 2-3-106(B)), and honey or honey products used in the shipping cages of package bees shall be boiled for at least thirty (30) minutes (§ 2-3-106(D)).
Border and destination inspectionNo border-station inspection regime is published. The Department may inspect any bees or vehicles transporting bees entering the state at any time (§ 2-3-117.1(D)), and the Board or its agents may enter any premises or mode of transportation during normal business hours or during times of agricultural or public activity to implement the provisions of the Oklahoma Apiary Act (§ 2-3-101(A)).
County layerNo county filing duty is published. The entry-permit application instead fixes the in-state location by county: it must state the nearest town and county where the bees shall be located and the legal description of where the bees shall be located (OAC 35:30-38-10(b)(5)-(6)). Separately, no county, municipality, or other political subdivision may adopt or maintain any ordinance prohibiting, impeding, or restricting the establishment or maintenance of honeybees in hives, although local zoning authority to establish appropriate locations for apiaries is preserved (§ 2-3-125).
Recognition of other states' certificatesNot published / not yet checked
Consequences, as publishedSection 2-3-121 lists the Act's violations: refusing or hindering a requested inspection; misrepresenting colony strength on a sale or rental; failing or refusing to pay any fee, fine, or penalty; retaining Africanized honeybees except for approved research purposes; knowingly exposing equipment or material to infested or diseased bees; failing to comply with a Board order; and violating any provision of the Act or rules promulgated under it. When a bee disease or pest is discovered, the premise is quarantined and control measures must be taken; where no effective control measures are available or the person fails to initiate control, a Board order to destroy the infected or infested bees and apiary equipment may issue (§ 2-3-103). Under the rules, if no corrective action is taken within thirty (30) days from the issuance of an American foulbrood quarantine, the infected or infested colonies shall be destroyed (OAC 35:30-38-7(c)). No dollar penalty amount is published in the Act or rules as fetched.
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