Primary-Residence-Only Rule
Honolulu Bill 41 (Ord. 22-7, effective October 2022) restricts short-term rentals under 90 days in residential zones to operators using the dwelling as their primary residence, outside the Waikiki resort district.
Short-Term Rentals in Honolulu, HI (2026)
10 verified short-term rentals rules for Honolulu, Hawaii, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Permit Requirements
Honolulu restricts short-term rentals (under 30 consecutive days) to resort-zoned areas and select apartment districts. All operators must obtain an annual registration certificate from the Department of Planning and Permitting before advertising or renting.
Honolulu Short-Term Rental Registration Required in Resort Zones
Heavy RestrictionsNoise Rules
Honolulu requires registered short-term rental hosts to post and enforce quiet hours from 10 PM to 7 AM under Ordinance 22-007. Violations may result in permit revocation and steep per-day fines.
Short-Term Rental Hosts Must Enforce Quiet Hours
Heavy RestrictionsCity and County of Honolulu, Ordinance 22-7 (Apr. 5, 2022), Restrictions and Standards for Bed and Breakfast Homes and Transient Vacation Units
House rules, including quiet hours between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., and emergency contact information for the owner or operator must be provided to all guests and posted in conspicuous locations... [The director may revoke the registration where] complaints from the public indicate that noise or other nuisances created by transient occupants disturbs residents of the neighborhood in which the ...
Taxes & Fees
Honolulu requires transient vacation unit operators to register and pay a 3% county transient accommodations tax on top of state GET and TAT, plus annual registration fees. Non-resort-zone STRs are banned entirely.
Honolulu Short-Term Rental Registration Fees and Local Taxes
Heavy RestrictionsParking Rules
Honolulu's Land Use Ordinance requires short-term rental operators to submit a parking plan and prohibits guests of nonconforming-use TVUs and B&Bs in residential zones from parking on public streets near the unit.
STR Guests Prohibited from Parking on Nearby Public Streets
Heavy RestrictionsOccupancy Limits
Registered short-term rentals on Oahu cap overnight occupancy at two adults per bedroom plus two additional adults per dwelling, with infants under two not counted toward the limit.
STR Occupancy Caps Under Bill 41
Heavy RestrictionsInsurance Requirements
Honolulu requires every owner or operator of a transient vacation unit (TVU) or bed-and-breakfast home to maintain at least $1,000,000 per occurrence in commercial general liability coverage, or homeowner's insurance with business liability coverage (umbrella policies may be combined to reach the limit), under Revised Ordinances of Honolulu (ROH) §21-5.730 as amended by Ordinance 22-7 (Bill 41, CD2). Proof of coverage must be filed with the Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) at registration and at every annual renewal, and a hosting-platform policy may satisfy the requirement only if it meets the minimum.
Short-Term Rental Insurance Requirements in Honolulu
Heavy RestrictionsHost Presence Rule
Bed-and-breakfast home registrations on Oahu require the operator to live on site during guest stays, distinguishing them from unhosted transient vacation units that demand a nonconforming use certificate.
Bed-and-Breakfast Host-Present Requirement
Heavy RestrictionsRepeat Violator Strikes
Honolulu DPP escalates short-term rental enforcement through a three-strike framework, revoking registrations after repeat violations within a 24-month window and barring re-registration for two years.
Three-Strike Revocation for STR Violations
Heavy RestrictionsHost Platform Liability
Bill 41 imposes liability on Airbnb, VRBO, and similar booking platforms that list unpermitted Honolulu short-term rentals, requiring registration verification and quarterly data reporting to DPP.
Booking Platforms Must Verify Honolulu Permits
Heavy RestrictionsLooking for Honolulu County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Honolulu city rules.
Short-Term Rentals in Honolulu County →