Kauai County, HI Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

Kaua'i County Code Sec. 8-18.2(e) does not set a decibel limit for homestays; instead it requires the homestay operator to prepare and distribute a specific written notice covering noise and neighborhood impact. The notice, titled "For the Safety and Comfort of You and Your Neighbors," must include, at minimum, suggested curfews, guidance about the character of the neighborhood, guidance about gatherings and noise, and instructions for what to do in an emergency or natural disaster. A copy must be filed with the Planning Department when the homestay application is submitted, and posted in a conspicuous place in the guest's sleeping quarters alongside the current zoning permit number so both the guest and any inspector can see it.

A nearly identical requirement applies to single-family transient vacation rentals across the island under Sec. 8-17.8(b)(3), showing the County treats guest-facing noise disclosure as a standard condition of short-term rental operation regardless of category. Because the requirement is a disclosure obligation rather than a numeric noise limit, actual noise complaints on Kaua'i are handled through the County's general nuisance and noise enforcement channels rather than through Article 18 itself, but a homestay that never prepared or posted the required notice is independently out of compliance with its permit conditions.