Honolulu County, HI Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Honolulu County, HI, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Zone affected
- Apartment mixed-use district
- Enclosure rule
- Fully enclosed, sound-attenuated
- Allowed hours
- 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Residential buffer
- 6-ft wall or hedge if <75 ft entrance
- Extended hours option
- Minor conditional use permit
Summary
A hair salon, dance studio or music school in one of Honolulu's apartment mixed-use zoning districts cannot pipe amplified music or run music instruction into the open air. ROH § 21-5.70-7(a)(1)(A) requires any personal-service business involving amplified music or music instruction to operate inside a fully enclosed, sound-attenuated structure, and caps its hours between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
(a) General personal services standards. (1) In the apartment mixed-use zoning district: (A) All services involving amplified music or music instruction must be located in a fully enclosed, sound-attenuated structure, and hours of operation are limited to between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. ... (3) When the principal entrance is less than 75 feet or its parking area is less than 20 feet from any adjoining zoning lot in the country, residential, apartment, or apartment mixed-use zoning district: (A) A solid wall or fence (not a chain-link fence) or equivalent landscape buffer (such as a screening hedge), 6 feet in height, must be installed and maintained at the common property lines; and (B) Hours of operation are limited to between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. General personal services uses that are intended to operate beyond these hours may be permitted under a minor conditional use permit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-10: Supplement 10, 12-2025 Ordinance No. 25-40 through Ordinance No. 25-56).
Full Breakdown
70-7 sets development standards for personal-service uses across the Land Use Ordinance. 90-1(c)(3) applying on top of that. hours apply. is not automatically barred; it may seek a minor conditional use permit to extend hours. 150-1, backs these standards: a first violation of any LUO requirement, including this one, is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 plus either 32 hours of community service or 48 hours of imprisonment, rising to a fine of up to $1,000 with 64 hours of community service or 96 hours of imprisonment for a second conviction within five years, and continued noncompliance after conviction lets each additional day count as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
A first LUO violation, including running an unenclosed or after-hours amplified-music personal service in the apartment mixed-use district, carries a fine of up to $1,000 plus 32 hours of community service or 48 hours of imprisonment under ROH § 21-2.150-1(a)(1). A second conviction within five years doubles the community service and imprisonment exposure, and the city may also seek an injunction to force compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business in Honolulu's apartment mixed-use zone play amplified music with the doors open?
What hours can an amplified-music personal service business operate in Honolulu?
Does a music studio near homes need a fence or wall?
What is the penalty for violating this zoning standard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Honolulu County
Compare Honolulu County to another location·View the Hawaii noise ordinances overview
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