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

Section 116.1 sweeps in any building or structure that is structurally unsafe, lacks adequate egress, constitutes a fire hazard, is otherwise dangerous to human life, or threatens safety, health, or public welfare through inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence, or abandonment. Once a structure meets that definition, it is declared a public nuisance and must be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition, or removal. Section 116.3 requires the building official to examine any structure reported as dangerous or damaged and, if it is unsafe, serve the owner, agent, or person in control with a written notice describing the defects.

That notice can give the owner 60 days to secure permits and start repairs or demolition, with all work completed within 180 days of permit issuance unless the building official sets a different deadline; it can also require the structure to be vacated until repairs are approved. A structure posing an immediate danger to life, limb, property, or public safety must be vacated, secured, and kept free of entry within 48 hours. Section 116.3.1 requires the building official to post a "DO NOT ENTER UNSAFE TO OCCUPY" notice at each entrance of a vacated structure, which stays up until repairs, demolition, or removal are complete and cannot be removed without the building official's written permission.

If the owner fails, neglects, or refuses to comply with the repair or demolition notice, Section 116.4.1 lets the building official refer the owner for prosecution as a code violator, pursue any other legal or equitable proceeding, recover abatement costs, or attach a lien to the property.