Kaneohe parcels along the Ko'olau foothills must maintain a 30-foot defensible space around structures and may be required by HFD to extend clearance up to 100 feet during drought or designated hazardous fire area status.
Brush clearance in Kaneohe flows from ROH Chapter 20's adoption of NFPA 1 (2021) Section 10.18 on Hazardous Fire Areas. Property owners adjacent to the Ko'olau range, Haiku Valley, Lulumahu, or undeveloped mauka slopes must maintain a firebreak by clearing flammable vegetation within 30 feet of any building. When HFD finds hazardous conditions (drought, past fire history, trade-wind events), the AHJ may order clearance up to 100 feet, plus removal of dead wood and clearing of roof overhangs and gutters. Compliance is inspected after complaints or during seasonal risk increases. Kaneohe's frequent windward rain reduces but does not eliminate risk in upper-slope neighborhoods.
Noncompliance after written notice is a Chapter 20 violation; the City may abate at the owner's cost and place the charges as a lien on the property.
Kaneohe, HI
Residential pool barriers in Kaneohe must meet ROH Sec. 16-6.2, which requires enclosures, self-closing gates, and opening limits to protect children. Compli...
Kaneohe, HI
Kaneohe's rolling terrain makes ROH Sec. 21-4.40 retaining wall rules especially relevant. Fill-retention walls in required yards cannot exceed 6 feet, and t...
Kaneohe, HI
Kaneohe fence materials are defined under ROH Sec. 21-4.60, recognizing wrought iron, wire, wood, vinyl, plastic, and masonry. The high-rainfall windward cli...
Kaneohe, HI
Kaneohe neighbor fence disputes are governed by ROH Sec. 21-4.30 yard rules. Honolulu has no spite-fence ordinance, so disputes outside code violations are h...
Kaneohe, HI
Public parks in Kaneohe are closed during posted night hours under ROH Sec. 10-1.2, with narrow exceptions for shoreline access through beach parks.
Kaneohe, HI
Kaneohe follows the state juvenile curfew under HRS Sec. 577-16 barring children under 16 from public places between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. without a parent or g...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Honolulu County.
See how other cities in Honolulu County handle brush clearance.
See how Kaneohe's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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