Landscaping Rules in Kauai County, HI (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Kauai County, Hawaii.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
On Kaua'i (Kaua'i County), no one may cut, trim, mutilate or remove any tree, bush or plant growing on a public highway or on County-owned or leased land without written authorization from the County Engineer. County Code Section 20-2.2 protects roadside and public-land vegetation, and violators face a fine up to one hundred dollars per offense under Section 20-2.3.
Kaua'i County Public Tree Trimming Rules
Some RestrictionsKaua'i County Code §§ 20-2.2, 20-2.3
No person shall mutilate, cut down, remove, trim out, chop, clip, burn or otherwise injure any tree, bush or plant when the tree, bush or plant is located on or growing on the public highways of the County of Kaua'i, or are located on or growing on any land owned or leased by the County without first obtaining authorization from the County Engineer. ... Any person convicted of violating Section...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
On Kaua'i (Kaua'i County), only the 24 individually named trees the County Council has designated "exceptional" under Code Article 5 need removal approval. Damaging, removing or destroying one of these listed trees without County Council sign-off is a crime carrying up to a $1,000 fine or 90 days in jail, though routine trimming and pruning stay exempt.
Protected Tree Removal Rules on Kaua'i
Significant RestrictionsKaua'i County Code §§ 22-5.6, 22-5.7
§ 22-5.6. Enforcing Authority. The County Planning Department and the Department of Public Works, Building Division, in their respective spheres of authority, shall be charged with police power to do all acts necessary to ensure that the provisions of this Article are not violated, including, but not limited to, the issuance of citations for the violation of any provisions of this Article. ... ...
Weed Ordinances
Kaua'i County does not set a fixed weed or grass height limit; instead County Code § 22-9.2 defines "weeds" as vegetation grown thick enough to create a fire hazard, shelter vermin, or spread onto neighboring land. The standard applies to vacant, unimproved lots zoned R-4 or higher density, and the Department of Public Works enforces it complaint by complaint.
Kaua'i County Vacant Lot Weed Standard
Some RestrictionsKaua'i County Code § 22-9.2
"Property" shall mean vacant lots in residentially zoned areas of R-4 or higher density. ... "Weeds" means vegetation of such nature, which has reached such growth, and is present in such quantity, that it constitutes a substantial risk of one (1) or more of the following nuisances: (1) The vegetation, when dry, is or will be a fire hazard. (2) The vegetation is, or is naturally suited as, a sh...
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