Hawaii County, HI Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Section 25-4-43(a) sets two separate height ceilings depending on fence material and openness. A perimeter boundary fence, wall, or similar feature of any solid or semi-solid material is capped at six feet before it stops counting as exempt from yard requirements; built to that height or less, it 'shall not be considered a structure' and needs no front, side, or rear yard setback at all. Strand-material fencing named specifically in the code, barbed wire, hog wire, and chain link, gets a taller allowance because it allows what the code calls 'see-through' visibility: that category can rise to eight feet while still avoiding any yard requirement.

The two-foot gap in the ceilings reflects a visibility trade-off written into the ordinance itself rather than a separate materials ban; the code does not prohibit barbed wire, hog wire, or chain link anywhere in this section, it only limits how tall each can go before triggering accessory-structure treatment under subsection (c). Subsection (c) is where material stops mattering and height takes over: any accessory structure, including a fence or wall over six feet, regardless of what it's built from, may not extend into a required front, side, or rear yard, though it may sit next to a building without an open-space requirement.

Subsection (b) applies to every material and height alike: no fence, wall, architectural feature, or obstruction may be built without gates or openings that leave complete access around a main building at all times, so even a compliant chain-link or hog-wire fence cannot be run in a way that seals off the path around the house.