Maui County, HI Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Maui County, HI, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Permit needed from
- Director of public works or parks & rec
- Covers
- Street trees and park trees
- Prohibited acts
- Cutting, digging up, burning, mutilating
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine, 1 year jail
- Exceptional trees
- Separate heavier penalty, § 12.24A.100(C)
Summary
Cutting down, digging up, mutilating, or burning a street or park tree in Maui County requires prior authorization from the director of public works for rights-of-way, or the director of parks and recreation for County parks. Doing it without sign-off is a misdemeanor under Code section 12.24A.100(A).
A.Whoever shall willfully, maliciously or negligently mutilate, cut down, dig up, burn or otherwise injure any street or park tree, or other ornamental plant or shrub, growing on any public way or in any public park of the county, unless authorized by the director of public works where such is located in a public right-of-way or by the director of parks and recreation, where such is located in a county park, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, shall be punishable by a fine of one thousand dollars or imprisonment not to exceed one year, or both.
Full Breakdown
Maui County treats trees within street rights-of-way and County parks as public property that a private party cannot remove without sign-off. 100(A) of the Landscape Planting and Beautification chapter makes it unlawful to willfully, maliciously, or negligently mutilate, cut down, dig up, burn, or otherwise injure any street or park tree, or other ornamental plant or shrub, growing on a public way or in a County park, unless authorized by the director of public works when the tree is in a public right-of-way, or by the director of parks and recreation when it is in a County park.
That authorization functions as the removal permit: a landowner or contractor who needs a street tree taken down, for a driveway, utility work, or a hazard, must first get the relevant director's sign-off rather than removing it outright. 080 gives the director of parks and recreation the same authority over park trees. 100(C). Unauthorized removal of an ordinary street or park tree under subsection (A) is a misdemeanor punishable, upon conviction, by a fine of $1,000, imprisonment of up to one year, or both.
Violations & Fines
Cutting down, digging up, mutilating, or burning a street or park tree without the applicable director's authorization is a misdemeanor under section 12.24A.100(A), carrying a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to one year, or both upon conviction. Removing a tree separately designated 'exceptional' under section 12.24A.055 triggers the same misdemeanor penalty tier under section 12.24A.100(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need permission to remove a tree in the road right-of-way in Maui County?
What about a tree in a County park?
What's the penalty for removing a street or park tree without authorization?
Does this rule cover trees on my own private property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Maui County
Compare Maui County to another location·View the Hawaii landscaping rules overview
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