Hawaii County, HI Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)

1, added by ordinance 22-95 in 2022, requires every plan-approval application for a place of public accommodation to install networked alternating-current Level 2 chargers and dedicated standard-size parking stalls, scaled per each increment of fifty parking stalls. New places of public accommodation phase in fastest: at least two plugs and two dedicated stalls for applications received by December 31, 2023, rising to four plugs by December 31, 2025, six by December 31, 2027, and eight by December 31, 2029. Existing places of public accommodation run two years behind that schedule, reaching two plugs by December 31, 2025 and eight plugs by December 31, 2031; any existing place not otherwise covered by subsection (b) must instead comply with the state EV-charging statute, section 291-71, Hawai'i Revised Statutes, by December 31, 2025.

Subsection (e) requires a dedicated parking space for every plug, clearly marked with signage stating the space is reserved for electric vehicles that are actively charging, and subsection (f) requires at least one EV stall to also meet Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility standards without displacing any other required accessible stall. Chargers must stay in good working order under subsection (d), but the county leaves the business model to the property owner: subsection (h) lets a site owner charge a fee for using the charger and add fees if a vehicle stays parked after charging finishes.

2 provides two ways to soften the mandate: property owners can substitute one direct current fast charger for each required set of eight Level 2 plugs, provided at least one Level 2 compatible plug remains per eight-plug requirement, and full exemptions are available where a qualified professional or the utility documents inadequate electrical infrastructure, or where the site sits in FEMA's highest flood risk zone.