Home Business in East Honolulu, HI (2026)
6 verified home business rules for East Honolulu, Hawaii, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Zoning Restrictions
Under the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu Land Use Ordinance (Section 21-5.50(c)(3), formerly 21-5.350), a home occupation is an accessory use providing a service or product for compensation in a dwelling that must keep the exterior appearance and character of a dwelling, allow no outdoor storage, and not adversely impact the neighborhood through traffic, noise, or odors.
Home Occupation Allowed as Subordinate Accessory Use
Some RestrictionsRevised Ordinances of Honolulu, Chapter 21 (Land Use Ordinance), Section 21-5.50(c)(3) Home Occupation, as enacted by Ordinance 25-2
(3) Home Occupation (A) Defined: An accessory use providing a service or product for compensation in a dwelling unit, in a building accessory to a dwelling unit, or on a zoning lot used primarily for dwelling purposes. (B) Standards (i) General a. The exterior appearance and character of the dwelling must remain that of a dwelling. b. No internal or external alterations that require a building ...
Signage Rules
The Revised Ordinances of Honolulu prohibit any exterior sign, display, or advertisement that shows a dwelling is used for a home occupation; under Section 21-5.350(c) there must be no exterior sign that shows the building is used for anything but residential use, and the Land Use Ordinance requires the exterior to remain that of a dwelling.
No Exterior Business Signs, Displays or Advertisements
Heavy RestrictionsRevised Ordinances of Honolulu, Chapter 21, Section 21-5.350(c) (Home occupations), carried forward as Section 21-5.50(c)(3)(B)(i)(a) by Ordinance 25-2
(c) There shall be no exterior sign that shows the building is used for anything but residential use. There shall be no exterior displays or advertisements.
Customer Traffic Restrictions
Home occupations that depend on client visits, including group instruction, must provide one off-street parking space per five clients on the premises at any one time, in addition to the dwelling's required parking, and commercial vehicles associated with the home occupation may not be parked on the street.
1 Parking Space Per 5 Clients; No Commercial Vehicle Parking
Some RestrictionsRevised Ordinances of Honolulu, Chapter 21, Section 21-6.30(d) (Adjustments and exceptions to parking requirements - Home occupations)
(d) Home occupations. (1) Home occupations that depend on client visits including, but not limited to group instruction, must provide one off-street parking space per five clients on the premises at any one time. This parking requirement is in addition to, and the client parking space must not obstruct, the parking spaces required or provided for the dwelling use. Residents of multifamily dwell...
Cottage Food Operations
Home-based food sales in East Honolulu fall under Hawaii's state cottage food framework in HRS Chapter 321, updated by 2024 Acts 194 and 195 creating homemade food operation permitting through the Department of Health.
Cottage Food Rules for East Honolulu Home Kitchens
Some RestrictionsHome Daycare
A family child care home is a permitted accessory use in East Honolulu under the Land Use Ordinance, allowing care for up to 6 unrelated children at any given time with no exterior alterations inconsistent with the residential character of the building, in addition to State of Hawaii child-care licensing.
Family Child Care Home: Up to 6 Children, State Licensed
Some RestrictionsRevised Ordinances of Honolulu, Chapter 21, Section 21-5.50(c)(2) Family Child Care Home, as enacted by Ordinance 25-2
Family Child Care Home (A) Defined: An accessory use in a private residence at which care is provided for up to 6 children at any given time who are unrelated to the caregiver by blood, adoption, guardianship, marriage, or other duly authorized custodial relationship. (B) Standards (i) No more than 6 children may be cared for at once. (ii) In the Agricultural Districts, a family child care home...
Home Occupation Permits
East Honolulu is part of the City and County of Honolulu, where a home occupation is a permitted accessory use that needs no separate City home-occupation permit, but every home business must register with the State and obtain a Hawaii general excise tax (GET) license under HRS 237-9, paying a one-time $20 fee.
No City Home-Occupation Permit; State GET License Required
Some RestrictionsHawaii Revised Statutes Section 237-9(a) (Licenses; penalty), General Excise Tax Law
237-9 Licenses; penalty. (a) Except as provided in this section, any person who has a gross income or gross proceeds of sales or value of products upon which a privilege tax is imposed by this chapter, as a condition precedent to engaging or continuing in such business, shall in writing apply for and obtain from the department of taxation, upon a one-time payment of the sum of $20, a license to...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement East Honolulu city rules.
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