To keep beehives (an apiary) on public land in NSW you must hold a permit or license to do so from the government agency that manages the land. In accordance with the NSW policy framework for apiary sites on public land, the process for allocation of sites which have not been used for over 2 years (“Long Term Vacant sites”) is on a first-come, first-served basis for qualifying apiarists.
To improve visibility of potential vacant apiary sites the DPI in conjunction with Forestry Corporation NSW is conducting an online pilot where a map of potential beekeeping ranges will be published online. These sites have not had an apiary permit for at least two years or in many cases may never have been used as beekeeping sites at all.
Interested parties should note that these sites have not been inspected or reviewed before publishing and may not be suitable for beekeeping. Before applying for an apiary site, applicants must visit the site and ensure it is suitable for their operation.
The online pilot has now started and involves over 3,000 available potential beekeeping sites across Forestry Corporation NSW forests across NSW and sites in a number of Local Land Services (LLS) regions. You can review the map on the application page.
The following diagram shows the process to follow to apply for sites. To request a hold, check a site's status or lodge an online application visit the LTV Pilot application page.
Yes, during the pilot if you submit a request on the DPI website specifying the sites you wish to be held and you receive confirmation in writing that these sites have not already been held or applied for the site can be held for 2 business days. If you do not apply for the sites within 2 business days they will be available again for other applicants.
To ensure broad access to sites you can request up to 20 sites be held at any one time but you can only request a hold on a site once.
During the pilot the hold process will involve the manual review of each request by DPI. The time taken to respond will depend on the volume of requests. If delays are experienced, enquiries will be dealt with strictly in order of their receipt. This email address will not be monitored or responded to outside business hours.
DPI will provide prefilled application forms to apiarists to submit to Forestry Corporation NSW or the LLS Region for the sites you applied for. Permit issue may take up to four weeks depending on number of applications received and other workloads such as wildfire management.
Whichever comes first:
Some Forestry Corporation ranges may contain “Exclusion Zones” where setdown sites cannot be placed. Exclusion Zones will be marked in mustard colour on the map and cannot be used as setdown sites. Setdown sites outside these areas should be identified in accordance with Forestry Corporation’s Apiary Permit Terms and Conditions and the location notified to Forestry Corporation within 90 days of the permit commencing.
On LLS Travelling Stock Reserves there may be multiple apiary sites within a reserve and each reserve may be marked with several segments on the map. Approximate setdown points are marked on the map. It may be possible to put your hives nearby as long as the location is within the reserve and you meet the following requirements:
During the pilot the hold process and application process involve several manual steps and the map will not be immediately updated as enquiries progress. If you request a hold on a site DPI will review it’s availability and respond to you to confirm it’s available to visit or apply.
Only a limited number of Long Term Vacant TSR sites (Local Land Services sites) are currently part of this pilot. Additional TSR sites may be added during the pilot. If you wish to enquire about a specific site which is not currently part of the pilot please contact the Apiary Sites helpdesk via apiary.sites@dpi.nsw.gov.au. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Apiary sites are subject to NPWS’s beekeeping policy which limits the number of apiary sites. There are no current LTV NPWS sites.