Honolulu County, HI Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Chapter 40, Article 8 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu creates a citywide register of 'exceptional trees': under § 40-8.2, that's 'a tree or grove of trees with historic or cultural value, or which by reason of its age, rarity, location, size, esthetic quality, or endemic status has been designated by the council as worthy of preservation.' A nine-member arborist advisory committee, appointed by the mayor and required to include a landscape architect and a certified arborist under § 40-8.3, researches candidate trees and recommends designations to the council; any citizen or citizen group can petition the committee to examine a tree under § 40-8.5(a). Once the council designates a tree, § 40-8.7 adds it by name and tax map key to the code's own register, which today runs from Hawaii's largest monkeypods and banyans to individual palms and flowering trees on private residential lots across Oahu.

§ 40-8.8(a) then bans removing or destroying a listed exceptional tree outright: it is 'unlawful for any person, corporation, public agency, or other entity to remove or otherwise destroy any tree in the city that has been designated exceptional without approval from the council,' and a violation 'shall be fined not more than $1,000.' The only carve-out is § 40-8.9's emergency provision, which lets an owner petition the director of parks and recreation directly for removal when the tree poses 'imminent danger to life or property'; the director can approve that emergency removal but must notify the arborist advisory committee and the council afterward. Short of outright removal, § 40-8.8(b) still requires a Department of Parks and Recreation permit before anyone can 'alter the characteristic shape' of an exceptional tree or 'remove any branch,' with permit criteria set by department rules adopted under HRS Chapter 91. § 40-8.10 layers civil enforcement on top of the $1,000 criminal fine: a threatened violation is declared a public nuisance that the corporation counsel can sue to enjoin, and § 40-8.12 gives anyone aggrieved by a council action 30 days to appeal to circuit court.