Hawaii County, HI Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

HCC § 5-9-1 sweeps in buildings that are substandard, structurally unsafe, or otherwise dangerous or hazardous to life through inadequate maintenance, dilapidation toward decay or partial ruin, fire hazard, insanitary condition, defective installation, or unsecured vacancy; every such building is declared a public nuisance to be abated under the article's procedure. Once the authority having jurisdiction inspects a reported or apparent violation under § 5-9-5, it serves a written notice of violation and order on the responsible party under § 5-9-6, at minimum the owner, but also any lessee, tenant, or the property owner where the structure sits.

That notice can require repairs or demolition to begin within forty-eight hours and be completed within ninety days unless the department sets a different deadline, or it can order the building vacated immediately until repairs are inspected and approved. Notice is served personally, by certified mail, by posting at the site, or, if those fail, by publication once weekly for two consecutive weeks. Under § 5-9-7, buildings ordered vacated get a posted "DO NOT ENTER. UNSAFE TO OCCUPY" notice, or, after a major disaster, a "Restricted Use" or "Unsafe" placard limiting or barring entry; removing or altering the placard without permission is itself prohibited.

Under § 5-9-8, the county can pursue any other legal or equitable remedy, including recovering abatement costs from the owner or attaching a lien to the property, in addition to the notice-and-order process.