The Big Island faces two distinctive hazards: wildfire on the dry leeward and Kona-Kohala side, and volcanic Lava Flow Hazard Zones mapped by USGS. Both drive insurance, building, and defensible-space concerns even though there is no California-style fire-zone clearance ordinance.
Hawai'i Island's leeward Kona and Kohala regions dry out from May to October under consistent trade winds, and invasive guinea grass and kiawe create heavy fuel loads, making wildfire a serious risk, as the Northwest Hawai'i CWPP (covering over 451,000 acres) documents. Separately, USGS maps the island into Lava Flow Hazard Zones 1-9, with Zones 1-2 (Kilauea/lower Puna) at highest volcanic risk, affecting insurance and lending. Rather than a fixed brush-clearance ordinance, the county and DLNR rely on Firewise certification, fuel-reduction grants, and defensible-space guidance, while lava-zone status is a mapping and building/insurance consideration.
There is no single fire-zone clearance citation; overgrown high-risk lots may be treated as a nuisance and fuel reduction can be ordered during elevated fire danger. Lava-zone status affects permitting and insurance, not fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Hawaii County, HI
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Hawaii County, HI
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Hawaii County, HI
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Hawaii County, HI
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Hawaii County, HI
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Hawaii County, HI
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See how Hawaii County's wildfire zones rules stack up against other locations.
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