Honolulu County, HI Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)
Key Facts
- Separate data center category
- none: folded into office use
- Governing use class
- "Office, General"
- Includes
- data storage centers, call centers
- Siting standard
- same as general office use
Summary
Honolulu has no standalone data center zoning category: the Land Use Ordinance folds data storage centers into the general office use class islandwide.
Office, General. Business and professional services in a private or co-working setting, including but not limited to accounting, advertising, architecture, auditing, banking, bookkeeping, consulting, design, employment, engineering, insurance, investment, landscape architecture, legal, real estate, security, or technology services. The term includes data storage centers and call centers. Ohana Unit. An accessory attached or detached dwelling unit on a zoning lot that includes a principal dwelling unit, for persons who are related by blood, adoption, guardianship, marriage, or other duly-authorized custodial relationship to the family residing in the principal dwelling unit located on the same zoning lot. Open Land. Land that may be improved, but contains no structures, and is set aside, designated, or reserved for public or private recreational use or enjoyment, including but not limited to picnic grounds, beaches, beach accesses, greenways, and areas for hiking, fishing, hunting, and other scenic interests. Open Space. Any portion of a zoning lot essentially free of structures that serves the purpose of visual relief and buffering from building and structural mass. These areas may be privately or publicly owned, and may or may not be accessible to the general public. Open space includes but is not limited to parks, playgrounds, playfields, plazas, outdoor dining areas, botanical gardens, fountains, reflecting pools and other bodies of water, walkways, and
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-10: Supplement 10, 12-2025 Ordinance No. 25-40 through Ordinance No. 25-56).
Full Breakdown
The Revised Ordinances of Honolulu don't single out data centers for special siting review. The Land Use Ordinance's "Office, General" definition, which covers accounting, engineering, technology and other business services, expressly states the term includes data storage centers and call centers. That means a data center on Oahu is sited and permitted the same way as any general office use in the applicable zoning district, with no separate use permit or siting standard of its own.
Violations & Fines
Because data storage centers fall under the general office use classification, violations are handled like any other office-use zoning noncompliance (operating outside a district where general office use is permitted, or without required permits) rather than under a data-center-specific rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Honolulu County have a special zoning district for data centers?
Where can a data center locate on Oahu?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Honolulu County
Compare Honolulu County to another location·View the Hawaii data centers & crypto mining overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.