Waimea, HI

Industrial and agricultural equipment, generators, compressors, and AC units are stationary noise sources under HAR 11-46. On agricultural or industrial (Class C) land the limit is 70…

Hawaii County has no separate city curfew because the county is the only local government. Statewide DOH rules (HAR 11-46) drop the nighttime noise limit to 45 dBA in residential…

Hawaii County law requires every motor vehicle on a public highway or street to run a muffler in constant operation, sized to stop excessive or unusual noise. Modified exhausts, dummy…

State law (HRS 342F-30.8) makes it unlawful to run a leaf blower or similar powered equipment outside 8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Monday-Saturday, or outside 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. on Sundays and…

A dog that barks continuously for 10 minutes, or intermittently for 20 minutes within any 30-minute span, is a 'noisy dog' under HCC § 4-4-25, a declared public nuisance regardless of…

Hawai'i County bans playing a radio, speaker, or other sound-reproducing device on public property, or in a vehicle on a public street, if it's audible fifty feet away, under HCC…

Hawaiʻi County Code has no length- or weight-specific oversized-vehicle street ban, but any vehicle too large for a marked stall must still keep off the main traveled roadway and leave…

On the Big Island you may not stand or park a vehicle in front of or within four feet of any public or private driveway (and up to 75 feet away where signs are posted). Blocking a…

The Hawai'i County Department of Public Works marks curbs and posts signs to show where standing or parking is banned near driveways, hydrants, crosswalks, intersections and fire…

Hawai'i County treats an RV, boat trailer, or other wheeled equipment left unattended on a public street, or a qualifying private street, for more than 24 hours as abandoned under HCC…

The County of Hawaiʻi sets no blanket overnight street-parking ban, but Hawaiʻi state law prohibits using any vehicle for human habitation while parked on a public road between 6:00…

Freight curb loading zones on Hawaii County roads only run from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday excluding public holidays, unless a specific street's listing in…

Hawai'i County requires new and existing 'places of public accommodation' seeking plan approval to install networked Level 2 EV chargers and dedicated parking under Code section…

Hawai'i County bans leaving any wrecked, nonoperational vehicle, construction equipment, or scrap iron on a public highway, public property, or someone else's private property under…

Hawaii County bans parking anywhere on a paved highway except in areas lawfully designated for parking, and section 24-189 lists exact places that are always off-limits: sidewalks…

Hawai'i is restrictive: consumer fireworks (firecrackers) are legal only with a $25 County Fire Department permit and only during narrow New Year's, Chinese New Year, and July 4…

Open burning is generally prohibited statewide under Hawai'i Department of Health air rules (HAR 11-60.1). Narrow exceptions cover cooking, fire training, and legitimate agricultural…

Small recreational cooking or warming fires are generally allowed, but the Hawai'i State Fire Code (NFPA 1, adopted island-wide) lets the fire department prohibit open flames when…

Every dwelling unit, congregate residence, and hotel or lodging-house sleeping room in Hawaii County must have smoke detectors installed to the manufacturer's instructions. New…

Hawai'i County STVRs must post and enforce a Good Neighbor Policy setting quiet hours from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., during which STVR noise must not unreasonably disturb neighbors…

STVR Registration is filed with the County of Hawai'i Planning Department under Rule 23. Applicants submit a completed form, $500 fee, final building permit approvals, current GET/TAT…

A Hawai'i County STVR may rent no more than five bedrooms at any given time. The maximum number of guests residing in the rental at once must be consistent with the definition of…

All guest parking for a Hawai'i County STVR must be off-street and meet the parking standards in Hawai'i County Code Sections 25-4-50 through 25-4-54. Guests must park in the…

Hawai'i Island STVR income is taxed at 10.25% State Transient Accommodations Tax plus a 3% County of Hawai'i TAT surcharge (13.25% combined), on top of the 4% General Excise Tax. The…

Renting spare bedrooms in a home you live in falls under Hawaii County's bed and breakfast rules, not the short-term vacation rental law. Hawaii County Code § 25-4-7 caps a B&B at five…

Hawai'i County's Bill 108 STVR rules apply to rentals where the owner does NOT live on site. Short-term use of an owner's primary residence (as defined under IRC Section 121) is…

Bill 108 does not impose a specific liability-insurance minimum on Hawai'i County STVRs. It does require that every print and internet advertisement, including listings with a rental…

A Hawai'i County STVR is defined by a maximum stay: rental "for a period of thirty consecutive days or less." Rentals of 30-plus consecutive days are not STVRs. Bill 108 sets no annual…

A Hawai'i County STVR must name an Owner or Reachable Person who resides in the County, is reachable 24/7, can respond by phone within one hour, and can be physically present at the…

A fence up to six feet on the Big Island isn't legally a 'structure' at all, so Hawai'i County Code section 25-4-43(a) lets you build one right up to your property line with no yard…

On Hawaii Island a perimeter fence or wall six feet or less needs no yard setback and is not a structure. See-through strand fencing (barbed wire, hog wire, chain link) may reach eight…

Any retaining wall four feet or higher on the Big Island needs a building permit under Hawaii County Code Section 5-3-1(b)(3), and its plans must be prepared, designed, and stamped by…

Hawai'i County's fence rule treats materials differently by how much they block sightlines: a solid perimeter fence tops out at six feet with no yard setback under section 25-4-43(a)…

Hawaii County zoning lets a shared boundary fence up to six feet sit on the line without setback. The County sets no cost-sharing or spite-fence rule; boundary disputes are civil…

The County of Hawai'i Department of Water Supply can restrict water use during shortages, drought, or equipment problems, often ordering 25% cuts (50% for irrigation). Its Rules let it…

Hawai'i County protects designated "exceptional trees" under County Code Article 10 (Sections 14-56 to 14-64). It is unlawful to substantially damage, remove or destroy an exceptional…

Hawai'i County treats a catchment tank like any other plumbing fixture: Section 5-3-1(b)(7) requires a permit to install, alter, remove, or replace a water tank or catchment used for…

Hawai'i County's zoning code encourages, but does not require, xeriscape and native Hawaiian plant species when landscaping. Code section 25-4-59.3(d) sits inside the parking-lot and…

HCC § 22-4.6(a) makes every owner of land abutting a County street responsible, at their own expense, for trimming, cutting, pruning and mowing landscape plants and clearing weeds…

Hawai'i Revised Statutes 46-1.5(12) gives Hawai'i County the power to order refuse and uncultivated undergrowth cleared from unoccupied lots, streets, sidewalks and public places, and…

Hawai'i County Code 25-4-13 permits a home occupation as incidental and subordinate to a dwelling, in the State Land Use Urban District and any zoning district allowing a single-family…

A family child care home operates under the County's home occupation standards (HCC 25-4-13) plus State licensing. The State Department of Human Services licenses/registers family…

Home occupations on the Big Island can't advertise themselves outwardly at all: Hawai'i County Code section 25-4-13(b)(2) bans every exterior sign, symbol, display, or advertisement…

Hawai'i County allows client visits at a home occupation only if you meet section 25-4-13's standards: one extra parking space on top of what the dwelling already needs, and, if visits…

In County of Hawai'i parks, school grounds and airports a dog must be on a leash no longer than six feet, and dogs are banned entirely from County beach parks. Letting a dog stray onto…

Hawai'i County has no general microchip mandate for pets. The one place chipping is required is HCC § 4-4-35(a)(5): a dog whose owner is convicted of negligently failing to control a…

Hawai'i County issues no cat license: a loose cat is legally a 'stray' under HCC § 4-1-1, and the animal control and protection agency can seize and impound it under § 4-2-3. Feeding a…

Hawaii County's zoning code has no separate category for pet groomers: a business that grooms animals for a fee falls under the § 25-1-5(b) definition of 'kennel,' the same zoning use…

Hawaii County Code Section 25-5-52 lists animal hospitals and veterinary establishments as permitted uses in the RA (Residential and Agricultural) district, no use permit needed. In…

Hawai'i County regulates beekeeping through 'generally accepted apiary management practices' rather than a permit. HCC § 4-5-4 lists a dozen required practices, from maintaining…

Hawai'i County lets residential lots keep backyard hens as a 'household hennery' under Code section 25-4-18, but only up to a size-based headcount, with roosters and commercial egg or…

Hawai'i County has no coyotes, so its closest wildlife-management law targets axis deer, an invasive game animal overrunning ranch and forest land. It's unlawful to transport live axis…

Hawai'i County has no breed-specific ban; instead it declares a dog 'dangerous' by its conduct. HCC § 4-4-32 makes it a petty misdemeanor, or a felony if the attack causes substantial…

Hawai'i County does not mandate spaying or neutering. HCC § 4-4-1 sets a biennial dog license fee of $2 for a sterilized dog versus $6 for an unsterilized dog, and § 4-4-2 requires a…

Hawaii County rewrote Appendix Q of the International Residential Code and adopted it into HCC § 5B-3-3, giving tiny houses their own construction rules. A tiny house is capped at 500…

A tool shed, storage shed, greenhouse, or similar detached accessory building on Hawai'i Island skips the county building permit only if it sits on residential or agricultural land…

Hawaii County caps transient accommodation rental use of an accessory dwelling unit at one per building site, and only if no other transient rental already operates there. The limit…

Hawai'i County allows one ohana dwelling (accessory dwelling unit) on RS, RA, FA and A zoned lots. The lot must be a legal lot of record, meet height, yard and parking rules, and have…

Hawai'i County's Residential Building Code adopts IRC Section R326 with local amendments at HCC Section 5B-2-1(36), requiring a barrier at least 48 inches above grade around any pool…

Hawai'i County requires a building permit before you construct a residential swimming pool: HCC Section 5-3-1(a)(1) covers erecting or constructing any structure, and a pool of 24…

Hawaii County requires a grading permit before any excavation or fill, a separate grubbing permit before clearing vegetation, and a stockpiling permit before storing more than 500…

Hawai'i County's floodplain chapter sets a hard number for anyone building in a mapped special flood hazard area: Section 27-18(d)(1)(A) requires the lowest floor of new residential…

New construction and substantial improvements in Hawaii County's special flood hazard areas must be elevated at least one foot above the base flood elevation, or floodproofed and…

Hawaii County regulates drainage facilities under HCC Chapter 27, Floodplain Management. Any new construction or substantial improvement next to a drainage facility, even outside…

Hawai'i County requires a permit before you erect, alter, enlarge, repair, relocate, or demolish any building or structure on the Big Island, plus most electrical, plumbing, gas, and…

Hawaii County's amended Building Code requires an automatic sprinkler system throughout every Group R building on the island: apartments, hotels, dorms and assisted-living, but exempts…

Hawaii County's building code classifies a child care facility serving five or fewer people of any age, for under 24 hours, as a residential Group R-3 occupancy rather than a…

Hawaii County requires a sequence of inspections during any permitted construction: footing/foundation, slab or under-floor, framing, insulation, lathing, rough electrical and…

Any electrical work in Hawai'i County, wiring, panel upgrades, new circuits, requires a permit from the Department of Public Works before work starts, per HCC § 5-3-1(a)(2). The county…

Hawai'i County adopts the 2012 Uniform Plumbing Code for every plumbing, gas, and drainage installation on the island, and Section 5F-1-3(6) bars connecting any plumbing system to a…

Any sign wired for electricity or lit by an external source, including an illuminated billboard-style sign, must clear the county electrical inspector under Hawaii County Code Section…

Hawai'i County Code Article 9 (Sections 14-50 to 14-55.1) requires shielding, curfews and lamp-type limits on almost every outdoor light fixture installed since September 1, 1988…

Because the County of Hawai'i runs no curbside collection, there are no set-out times or curb-placement rules for household bins in most areas. Waste is deposited at transfer and…

There is no curbside bulky-item pickup. Residents self-haul large items to the recycling and transfer stations, which accept soft compactable bulky items such as mattresses, stuffed…

Hawai'i County offers free drop-off recycling and HI-5 beverage-container redemption at its transfer and recycling stations, but household recycling is largely voluntary self-haul…

Illegally dumping rubbish, appliances, or a derelict vehicle on public land, roads, or another person's property is prohibited by Hawai'i County Code Chapter 20 and by state litter law…

Hawai'i County runs no curbside trash pickup for most residents: County Code Section 20-03-01 requires every owner or occupant to haul solid waste to a County-approved Solid Waste…

Hawai'i County bans polystyrene foam food service ware outright and requires every food vendor and County facility user to switch to a recyclable or compostable product under Sections…

Garage-sale signs qualify as temporary signs under Hawai'i County's Sign Code (HCC Ch. 3). They are allowed in all districts without a permit but must relate to a special event or…

Hawaii County Code Section 3-7 bans billboards, automated signs with changeable commercial messages, and flashing signs everywhere on the Big Island. There is no permit path: digital…

Hawai'i County Sign Code (HCC Chapter 3) allows temporary, unlighted signs relating to a meeting, special event or condition of the property in every district without a permit. In…

In commercial and industrial districts, Hawaii County Code Section 3-11(7) caps window signs at 25 percent of a business's total window area facing the street, or 150 square feet…

A Hawaii County housing project that fulfills its affordable housing requirement by building or renting affordable units, or donating finished lots, earns a density bonus: ten percent…

Downtown Kailua-Kona falls inside the roughly 825-acre Kailua Village special district, where a nine-member Kailua Village design commission reviews architecture and site design before…

New buildings in Hawaii County's windborne debris regions must protect glazed windows and doors under County Code Section 5A-3-25, Appendix W. Glazing must be impact-resistant or…

In Hawai'i County's coastal high hazard zones, V and VE on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps, Section 27-23(2) requires new construction to rest on anchored pilings or columns with the…

New construction on the Big Island must meet Hawaii County's Appendix W wind design rules, county-specific roof-to-wall uplift connector ratings, and stricter framing methods once…

Hawaii County protects historic properties and cultural sites through the Hawai'i County Cultural Resources Commission, created under County Code Article 44. The nine-member commission…

Every rooftop or ground-mount solar photovoltaic system on the Big Island needs a Hawai'i County building permit before installation, replacement, or relocation. Residential systems…

Hawai'i County's only local right-to-farm provision is narrow: HCC § 4-5-1 states the council's intent that HRS chapter 165, the state right-to-farm act, applies to apiaries and to…

Hawaii County protects farming through zoning, not a standalone right-to-farm ordinance: Chapter 25 sets aside RA, FA, A and IA agricultural districts under Hawaii County Code §§…

Hawai'i County does not protect tree species generally; it protects individually named "exceptional trees" that the County council has designated one by one under Code Article 10…

Hawai'i County designates individual trees or groves as protected "exceptional trees" for their historic, cultural, age, rarity, size, or aesthetic value. Once listed by the Council…

Hawaii County's construction code sets the baseline habitability standard for every dwelling: a working water closet, kitchen sink, and hot and cold water, adequate ventilation, and a…

Hawaii County requires a police-issued permit before anyone blocks, closes, restricts or impedes traffic on any street, highway, time-limit parking stall or public right-of-way for a…

Any group larger than fifteen people that wants to reserve a picnic pavilion, lawn, or gathering space in a Hawai'i County park must get a picnic permit from the Department of Parks…

Hawai'i County requires a parks permit for any parade, demonstration, or public assembly that draws 75 or more people onto county park land. The Department of Parks and Recreation…

Hawaii County bans crossing any roadway segment the county has designated "closed to pedestrian traffic" except at a marked crosswalk, over a pedestrian overpass, or through a…

Hawaii County makes it a crime to loiter, loaf, or idle on any public highway, sidewalk, beach, or coastal area once a tsunami warning is issued and for as long as one remains in…

Hawai'i County bans urinating or defecating anywhere in a county park except at a restroom or comfort station provided for that purpose, under HCC §15-30(g). The one carve-out is…

Hawai'i County bans drinking or even displaying intoxicating liquor in public view on highways, sidewalks, parking lots, school grounds, and most public parks under HCC §14-1. A…

Hawaii County outlaws entering a roadway, obstructing traffic, or approaching moving vehicles to solicit money, business, employment, goods or services, or to offer them to a stopped…

Hawai'i County's smoking ban reaches outdoors too: it covers open-air restaurant and bowling-alley seating where food is served, a twenty-foot buffer around any building entrance or…

Skateboards and roller skates are banned in Hawai'i County parks except where the parks director has posted a sign designating a specific area for them, under HCC §15-31. There is no…

HCC § 22-2.4 bars anyone from knowingly or recklessly rendering a County street or sidewalk impassable, or from creating an unreasonable risk of harm to people or property on it. This…

HCC § 22-4.6(b) puts abutting landowners on the hook, at their own expense, for repairing sidewalk damage caused by their own abuse or failure to maintain it; § 22-4.7 requires that…

Placing benches, planters, garbage receptacles, or other private items on a County sidewalk requires a Sidewalk Use Permit from the Department of Public Works. HCC § 22-3.7 sets the…

Hawai'i County parks, including beach parks, open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. every day under HCC §15-8(b). The parks director can post different hours for an individual park…

Hawai'i County bars minors from public streets, parks and public establishments during set curfew windows: under-15s from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., and 15-through-17-year-olds from 12:30 a.m…

Filming a movie, TV production, or soundtrack in a Hawai'i County park with a professional cast, crew, or set requires written permission from the parks director first, under HCC…

Hawaii County caps single-family homes in the RS residential district at thirty-five feet under Hawaii County Code § 25-5-4. Countywide rules in §§ 25-4-20 through 25-4-23 add the fine…

Hawaii County zoning does not cap lot coverage by a percentage. Instead it controls how much you can build through minimum building-site area, minimum width, and required yards. In the…

Setbacks vary by zoning district and lot size. In the common RS single-family district, front and rear yards run 15 to 25 feet and side yards 8 to 15 feet, increasing with lot area…

Hawaii County's zoning code flatly bars auto repair, fabrication and painting as a home occupation. Section 25-4-13(e)(2) singles out vehicle repair work by name, and the only…

To report an overgrown, refuse-filled, or fire-hazard lot in Hawai'i County, a majority of adult residents within 500 feet, or the adjacent property owner, petitions the mayor in…

Hawai'i County Code section 14-150 requires every owner of an occupied or unoccupied lot fronting a public street or highway to clear refuse, uncultivated undergrowth and unsafe flora…

Hawaii County declares any substandard, structurally unsafe, or dangerous building a public nuisance that must be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition, or removal. The…

Grilling, smoking, or spit-roasting food outdoors on the Big Island is governed by a state rule, not a county ordinance: HAR §11-60.1-52 exempts attended cooking fires from Hawai'i's…

Selling food from a stand, cart or truck on any County street or sidewalk requires a special activity permit under HCC § 22-2.5. Operating without one is barred outright as commercial…

A special activity permit under HCC § 22-3.3 only authorizes vending on County streets the Council has designated. Section 22-3.3.2 currently lists Hamakua, North Hilo, South Hilo…

A building infested with insects, vermin, or rodents, as confirmed by the Department of Health, is a declared substandard building under Hawaii County's construction code. So is a…

Hawaii County Code Chapter 24 sets a reasonable-and-prudent speed standard for bicycles rather than a fixed mph limit, and it only recognizes a route as an official bike lane or bike…