The County of Hawai'i has no dedicated vacant-lot mowing ordinance. An overgrown or debris-filled empty lot is addressed as a zoning code violation reported to the Planning Department (Chapter 25) or, if it becomes a fire, health, or sanitation hazard, as a public nuisance under state law (HRS Chapter 322).
Hawai'i County does not set a numeric grass-height limit or automatic mowing duty for vacant parcels the way many mainland cities do. Instead, complaints about neglected empty lots go to the Planning Department, which enforces the zoning code by complaint. Where a lot poses a genuine fire, health, or sanitation danger, the state Department of Health can abate it as a public-health nuisance under HRS Chapter 322, Part I. Dumping or derelict vehicles on a vacant lot are separately enforceable under the litter and solid-waste laws.
Zoning violations draw Planning Department notices and daily fines under Chapter 25; confirmed public-health nuisances are abated by DOH under HRS 322, potentially at the owner's cost.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Hawaii County, HI
Hawai'i County has no separate hoarding ordinance; the matter is handled under state cruelty law. Depriving pet animals of necessary sustenance is cruelty in...
Hawaii County, HI
Ordinance No. 25-63 (Bill 51, 2025) makes it illegal to feed feral animals, including cats, chickens, pigs and goats, on County of Hawai'i property, to prote...
Hawaii County, HI
Home composting is allowed and encouraged in Hawai'i County. The county runs green-waste diversion at its transfer stations and recycling programs, but there...
Hawaii County, HI
The County of Hawai'i has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating artificial turf on residential yards. Installation must still meet zoning setbacks,...
Hawaii County, HI
There is no county rule requiring native landscaping, but the Big Island is ground-zero for invasive-species control. Planting or spreading state-listed noxi...
Hawaii County, HI
Rainwater catchment is legal and common on the Big Island — many Puna and off-grid homes rely on it. The County Department of Water Supply does not recognize...
See how Hawaii County's vacant lot maintenance rules stack up against other locations.
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