7 rules for unincorporated Hawaii County, Hawaii.
Verified from official government sources
On Hawaii Island a perimeter fence or wall six feet or less needs no yard setback and is not a structure. See-through strand fencing (barbed wire, hog wire, chain link) may reach eight feet. Corner-lot sight triangles cap fences at three feet.
HCC 25-4-43(a)
A perimeter boundary fence, wall or similar feature, six feet or less in height shall not be considered a structure and shall be permitted without any front, side or rear yard requirements. In addition, a fence which is constructed of strand material, such as barbed wire, hog wire, or chain link, which allows "see-through" visibility is permitted to a height of eight feet without any front, sid...
The Hawaii County building code exempts fences six feet or less from a building permit. A taller fence or wall generally needs a permit, and any wall over six feet is a zoning accessory structure that cannot sit in a required yard.
Hawaii County Residential Building Permit Guidelines — Work not requiring a building permit, item 11
Fences 6' or less in height.
Hawaii County zoning lets a shared boundary fence up to six feet sit on the line without setback. The County sets no cost-sharing or spite-fence rule; boundary disputes are civil matters handled between owners under Hawaii state law.
HCC 25-4-43(b)
No fence, wall, architectural feature, or other obstruction shall be placed or be without gates or openings so as to prohibit complete access around any main building at all times.
A retaining wall four feet or higher requires a building permit in Hawaii County, and grading or filling 100 cubic yards or reaching five feet vertical also needs a grading permit. Zoning still treats walls over six feet as accessory structures barred from required yards.
Hawaii County Residential Building Permit Guidelines — work requiring a permit, item 4
Retaining wall (concrete, CMU, rock, or other) 4-feet or higher.
Hawaii County allows a perimeter fence up to six feet on the property line with no setback, but any fence over six feet must stay out of required yards, and no fence may block complete access around a main building.
HCC 25-4-43(c)
Any accessory structure, including any fence, or wall over six feet in height, architectural feature or water tank, which is not connected to a building, may not extend into any required front, side or rear yard, but may be located next to any building without any open space requirement.
Hawaii County zoning does not ban specific fence materials, but it distinguishes them by height: solid fences of any material are capped at six feet without setback, while see-through strand materials like barbed wire, hog wire, or chain link may reach eight feet.
HCC 25-4-43(a)
In addition, a fence which is constructed of strand material, such as barbed wire, hog wire, or chain link, which allows "see-through" visibility is permitted to a height of eight feet without any front, side, or rear yard requirements.
Any fence material is allowed on the Big Island; height is what the code controls. Solid materials are limited to six feet without setback, and see-through strand materials such as barbed wire, hog wire, and chain link may go to eight feet.
HCC 25-4-43(a)
A perimeter boundary fence, wall or similar feature, six feet or less in height shall not be considered a structure and shall be permitted without any front, side or rear yard requirements.
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