Hawaii County, HI Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

HCC § 5-9-2 lists infestation and its causes among the conditions that make a building substandard: dampness of habitable rooms as determined by the Department of Health, infestations of insects, vermin, or rodents as determined by the Department of Health, and lack of adequate garbage and rubbish storage and removal facilities as determined by the Department of Health. Because the finding runs through the state Department of Health rather than a private inspector, a rodent complaint against a Big Island property typically starts with a Department of Health referral or inspection, then feeds into the county's substandard-building process.

Once the authority having jurisdiction, the Department of Public Works, confirms the condition under § 5-9-5, it issues a notice and order under § 5-9-6 to the property owner, and at minimum any responsible lessee or tenant, requiring correction within forty-eight hours to ninety days or, in serious cases, ordering the space vacated until the infestation and its cause are abated. Because the county has no incorporated cities, this is the operative rodent and vector standard for both Hilo and Kona rental and commercial properties alike; there is no separate municipal vector-control ordinance layered on top of it.