Honolulu County, HI Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- ROH § 16A-10.2
- Criminal penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 1 year jail, per day
- Civil fine cap
- $1,000 plus $1,000/day of order
- Appeal deadline
- 30 days to building board of appeals
- Lien trigger
- Unpaid fines over $150,000 or 5+ years old
- Enforcing office
- Building official, Dept. of Planning & Permitting
Summary
Under Revised Ordinances of Honolulu § 16A-10.2, any building on Oahu that the building official determines is substandard, unsafe, or endangers life, health, or safety is automatically declared a public nuisance. The building official can issue a notice of violation, follow with a notice of order carrying civil fines up to $1,000 per day, and ask the corporation counsel to seek a court injunction forcing repair, demolition, or removal of the building.
Buildings that are substandard, as defined by this code, are declared to be public nuisances. ... (3) Any structure that is determined to be a substandard building by the building official pursuant to an enforcement order or a declaratory ruling. ... Substandard Building. Any building or portion thereof that is determined to be an unsafe building in accordance with the building code or that endangers the life, limb, health, property, safety, or welfare of the public or its occupants due to one or more violations of this code. ... Any person violating this code shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and each such person is guilty of a separate offense for each and every day or portion thereof during which such violation is committed, continued, or permitted, and upon conviction of any such violation such person shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
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
ROH § 16A-2.1 defines a "Substandard Building" as any building or portion of one determined to be an unsafe building under the building code, or that endangers the life, limb, health, property, safety, or welfare of the public or its occupants because of one or more violations of the housing code. Section 16A-10.2 then declares every such building a public nuisance outright, with no further finding required once the substandard determination is made. Enforcement runs through the building official, who under § 16A-10.1 may enter property at reasonable times on proper credentials, or obtain an administrative warrant from a circuit or district court judge if an owner refuses entry or cannot be found.
Complaints can be filed in writing under § 16A-10.3, or the building official can open an investigation independently. Once a violation is confirmed, § 16A-10.5(a) requires a notice of violation naming the section violated, describing the defect, and setting a compliance deadline, served personally, by certified mail, or by newspaper publication if the responsible person cannot be located. If the owner does not comply, § 16A-10.5(c) lets the building official issue a notice of order requiring correction by a deadline and imposing civil fines of up to $1,000, plus up to $1,000 per day the violation continues.
The order becomes final 30 days after delivery unless appealed in writing to the building board of appeals under § 16A-10.4, though an appeal does not stay the order. Unpaid fines that exceed $150,000 or remain outstanding more than five years get added to the owner's city fees (vehicle registration, driver's license renewal, business license) and recorded as a lien on the owner's real property under § 16A-10.5(c)(4). Where the nuisance goes unabated after appeals are exhausted, or presents an unreasonable risk of harm, § 16A-10.5(d) authorizes the corporation counsel to sue for an injunction ordering the owner to remove, demolish, or otherwise abate the structure, or authorizing the city to enter and abate it directly, with costs and attorney's fees recoverable as a lien against the property.
Violations & Fines
Violating the housing code, including maintaining a substandard building, is a misdemeanor under § 16A-10.5(b)(1): each day the violation continues is a separate offense, punishable by a fine up to $1,000, imprisonment up to one year, or both. In lieu of criminal prosecution, the building official can pursue the administrative track: civil fines up to $1,000 plus $1,000 per day of noncompliance, which become a recorded lien against the property and can be tacked onto the owner's city fee accounts once they exceed $150,000 or age past five years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a building "substandard" under Honolulu's code?
Can the city fine me every day my Oahu property stays out of compliance?
How do I appeal a substandard building notice of order?
Does this rule apply outside Waikiki and downtown Honolulu?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Honolulu County
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