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Hawaii County

county Restricted Needs review · last verified 2026-07-15

Short-term vacation rentals (STVRs) on Hawai'i Island (Big Island — Kona/Hilo) are legal only in a narrow set of zoning districts and require registration, under Hawai'i County Code Chapter 25 (Zoning), Article 4, Sections 25-4-16 through 25-4-16.3, enacted by Bill 108 as Ordinance 18-114 (2018, operative April 1, 2019). Status is RESTRICTED rather than merely registration-gated because new STVRs are flatly prohibited across most of the island's residential and agricultural land, and the grandfathering window closed permanently in 2019. HCC §25-1-5 defines an STVR as "a dwelling unit of which the owner or operator does not reside on the building site, that has no more than five bedrooms for rent on the building site, and is rented for a period of thirty consecutive days or less"; the definition expressly excludes "the short-term use of an owner's primary residence as defined under section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code." STVRs are permitted only in the V, CG and CV districts; in residential and commercial zoning districts situated in the General Plan Resort and Resort Node areas; and in the RM district for multiple-family dwellings within a HRS ch. 514A/514B condominium property regime (§25-4-16(a)(1)). Every STVR must register with the Planning Director and pay a ONE-TIME $500 fee — pre-April 1, 2019 STVRs had to register by September 30, 2019 (§25-4-16(b)(1)); new STVRs in permitted districts must register and pay $500 before use (§25-4-16(b)(2)). STVRs that operated OUTSIDE a permitted zoning district before April 1, 2019 could continue only via a Nonconforming Use Certificate (NUC) under §25-4-16.1, which had to be applied for by September 30, 2019 and must be RENEWED ANNUALLY at $250 paid to the director of finance. That NUC window is CLOSED: no new STVRs are allowed in unpermitted districts after April 1, 2019, and an NUC is lost if the use ceases for twelve continuous calendar months (abandonment, §25-4-62). In the State Land Use agricultural district an NUC may only be issued for single-family dwellings on lots existing before June 4, 1976 (§25-4-16.1(e)). Standing rules: the owner or reachable person must reside in the County of Hawai'i and be reachable 24/7; quiet hours 9:00 p.m.–8:00 a.m.; all print and internet advertising must include the registration or NUC number; advertising alone is prima facie evidence of STVR operation (§25-4-16.2). SEPARATELY, Bill 47 (Draft 3) was adopted as ORDINANCE 25-50, adding Article 6 (Transient Vacation Rentals, §§6-40 to 6-53) to Chapter 6, requiring EVERY TVR — "a dwelling, dwelling unit, room, apartment, suite, shelter, or the like" rented to a transient "[f]or a rental period less than one hundred and eighty consecutive days" (excluding hotels, motels, inns, apartment hotels, boarding facilities, lodges, timeshares and tents) — to register with the DIRECTOR OF FINANCE: $250 hosted / $500 un-hosted, annual renewal $100 hosted / $250 un-hosted, $90 late fee, with civil fines of $1,000–$10,000 for failure to register, plus hosting-platform registration ($1,000) and monthly listing reporting. Ordinance 25-50's certified effective date was December 20, 2025 ("shall take effect one hundred and eighty days after its approval"); Bill 98 was adopted as Ordinance 25-92 in December 2025 extending that to July 1, 2026. IMPORTANT — AS OF JULY 16, 2026 THIS TVR REGISTRATION IS NOT YET OPERATIONAL: no Director of Finance TVR registration portal is live, and the ordinance's own Council sponsors (Kimball/Kierkiewicz) state registration "has been pushed out to September 1, 2026," with PENDING Bill 175 proposing a four-month registration window of September 1 – December 31, 2026 (Bill 175 was set for Council Committee on July 22, 2026 and had NOT been adopted as of this verification). Also pending and not law: Bill 147 (operational standards, quiet hours extended to 10:00 p.m., events of "residential character," fines to $10,000; Leeward Planning Commission hearing July 16, 2026) and Bill 173 (B&B homeowner tax class plus tax amnesty). Operators should confirm current registration status directly with the Department of Finance. Taxes on gross rental proceeds: 11.00% State TAT (raised from 10.25% by Act 96, SLH 2025, effective January 1, 2026) + 3% Hawai'i County TAT (HCTAT, Ordinance 21-89, levied since January 1, 2022, no separate county registration — a valid State TAT number is deemed registered) + 4.5% GET (4.0% state + 0.5% county surcharge in effect January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2030; maximum pass-on 4.7120%).

Not legal advice. Last verified 2026-07-15 · sources linked below.

Requirements checklist

  • county Short-Term Vacation Rental (STVR) Registration Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: None — one-time registration; upon change in ownership the new owner must notify the director forthwith and registration automatically continues, subject to termination by the new owner (§25-4-16(b)(6)) · Applies to: All short-term vacation rentals countywide, in both permitted zoning districts and (if NUC-eligible) unpermitted districts · official page ↗
  • county Short-Term Vacation Rental Nonconforming Use Certificate (NUC) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Annual — must be renewed every year on or before the expiration date indicated on the certificate; renewal denied if the use has been abandoned under §25-4-62 (twelve continuous calendar months) · Applies to: STVRs that operated outside a permitted zoning district prior to April 1, 2019; application window closed September 30, 2019 — NOT available to new operators · official page ↗
  • county Transient Vacation Rental (TVR) Registration with Director of Finance — Ordinance 25-50 (Bill 47 Draft 3) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Annual — $100 (hosted) / $250 (un-hosted); $90 late fee with a 90-day cure window after notice of expired registration. Registration expires ninety days after a change in ownership of the property (§6-45(d)). · Applies to: Every TVR (dwelling, dwelling unit, room, apartment, suite or shelter rented to a transient for less than 180 consecutive days; excludes hotels, motels, inns, apartment hotels, boarding facilities, lodges, timeshares, tents). Article does NOT apply to activity exempt from HRS ch. 237D, subject to HRS ch. 521, furnished to a health care worker temporarily employed at a County medical facility, or authorized by a declared state of emergency (§6-43). STVRs registered under §25-4-16 before the effective date are deemed separately registered but must still renew under §6-47 (§6-44(a)). · official page ↗
  • county Hosting Platform Registration and Monthly Reporting — Ordinance 25-50 Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Remains in effect until terminated by the registrant or cancelled pursuant to §6-53 · Applies to: Hosting platforms providing booking services for TVRs in the County. Division does not apply to the provision of booking services for a TVR by the owner thereof, or to a real estate broker or salesperson acting as a hosting platform for no more than one TVR (§6-50). · official page ↗
  • state State GET and TAT licenses in effect; County property taxes paid in full Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: All STVR registrants (verification is a mandatory element of the registration form) · official page ↗
  • county Final building, electrical and plumbing permit approvals Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: The dwelling used as an STVR · official page ↗
  • county 300-foot neighbor notification (nonconforming use applicants) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: Nonconforming use applicants — notification letters to all owners and lessees of record of all lots any portion of which is within 300 feet of the STVR property perimeter · official page ↗
  • county Off-street parking certification and site plan Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: All STVRs · official page ↗

Taxes

TaxRateAdministered byAirbnb remitsVrbo remits
State Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) — — — —
Hawai'i County Transient Accommodations Tax (HCTAT) — — — —
General Excise Tax (GET) with Hawai'i County Surcharge — — — —

Operating rules

Primary residence
—
Min stay (nights)
—
Max nights / year
—
Max occupancy
—
Zoning-restricted
—
Cap on licenses
—

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Frequently asked questions

Is Airbnb legal in Hawaii County?
Short-term vacation rentals (STVRs) on Hawai'i Island (Big Island — Kona/Hilo) are legal only in a narrow set of zoning districts and require registration, under Hawai'i County Code Chapter 25 (Zoning), Article 4, Sections 25-4-16 through 25-4-16.3, enacted by Bill 108 as Ordinance 18-114 (2018, operative April 1, 2019). Status is RESTRICTED rather than merely registration-gated because new STVRs are flatly prohibited across most of the island's residential and agricultural land, and the grandfathering window closed permanently in 2019. HCC §25-1-5 defines an STVR as "a dwelling unit of which the owner or operator does not reside on the building site, that has no more than five bedrooms for rent on the building site, and is rented for a period of thirty consecutive days or less"; the definition expressly excludes "the short-term use of an owner's primary residence as defined under section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code." STVRs are permitted only in the V, CG and CV districts; in residential and commercial zoning districts situated in the General Plan Resort and Resort Node areas; and in the RM district for multiple-family dwellings within a HRS ch. 514A/514B condominium property regime (§25-4-16(a)(1)). Every STVR must register with the Planning Director and pay a ONE-TIME $500 fee — pre-April 1, 2019 STVRs had to register by September 30, 2019 (§25-4-16(b)(1)); new STVRs in permitted districts must register and pay $500 before use (§25-4-16(b)(2)). STVRs that operated OUTSIDE a permitted zoning district before April 1, 2019 could continue only via a Nonconforming Use Certificate (NUC) under §25-4-16.1, which had to be applied for by September 30, 2019 and must be RENEWED ANNUALLY at $250 paid to the director of finance. That NUC window is CLOSED: no new STVRs are allowed in unpermitted districts after April 1, 2019, and an NUC is lost if the use ceases for twelve continuous calendar months (abandonment, §25-4-62). In the State Land Use agricultural district an NUC may only be issued for single-family dwellings on lots existing before June 4, 1976 (§25-4-16.1(e)). Standing rules: the owner or reachable person must reside in the County of Hawai'i and be reachable 24/7; quiet hours 9:00 p.m.–8:00 a.m.; all print and internet advertising must include the registration or NUC number; advertising alone is prima facie evidence of STVR operation (§25-4-16.2). SEPARATELY, Bill 47 (Draft 3) was adopted as ORDINANCE 25-50, adding Article 6 (Transient Vacation Rentals, §§6-40 to 6-53) to Chapter 6, requiring EVERY TVR — "a dwelling, dwelling unit, room, apartment, suite, shelter, or the like" rented to a transient "[f]or a rental period less than one hundred and eighty consecutive days" (excluding hotels, motels, inns, apartment hotels, boarding facilities, lodges, timeshares and tents) — to register with the DIRECTOR OF FINANCE: $250 hosted / $500 un-hosted, annual renewal $100 hosted / $250 un-hosted, $90 late fee, with civil fines of $1,000–$10,000 for failure to register, plus hosting-platform registration ($1,000) and monthly listing reporting. Ordinance 25-50's certified effective date was December 20, 2025 ("shall take effect one hundred and eighty days after its approval"); Bill 98 was adopted as Ordinance 25-92 in December 2025 extending that to July 1, 2026. IMPORTANT — AS OF JULY 16, 2026 THIS TVR REGISTRATION IS NOT YET OPERATIONAL: no Director of Finance TVR registration portal is live, and the ordinance's own Council sponsors (Kimball/Kierkiewicz) state registration "has been pushed out to September 1, 2026," with PENDING Bill 175 proposing a four-month registration window of September 1 – December 31, 2026 (Bill 175 was set for Council Committee on July 22, 2026 and had NOT been adopted as of this verification). Also pending and not law: Bill 147 (operational standards, quiet hours extended to 10:00 p.m., events of "residential character," fines to $10,000; Leeward Planning Commission hearing July 16, 2026) and Bill 173 (B&B homeowner tax class plus tax amnesty). Operators should confirm current registration status directly with the Department of Finance. Taxes on gross rental proceeds: 11.00% State TAT (raised from 10.25% by Act 96, SLH 2025, effective January 1, 2026) + 3% Hawai'i County TAT (HCTAT, Ordinance 21-89, levied since January 1, 2022, no separate county registration — a valid State TAT number is deemed registered) + 4.5% GET (4.0% state + 0.5% county surcharge in effect January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2030; maximum pass-on 4.7120%).
Do I need a license or registration for a short-term rental in Hawaii County?
Yes — Hawaii County requires: Short-Term Vacation Rental (STVR) Registration; Short-Term Vacation Rental Nonconforming Use Certificate (NUC); Transient Vacation Rental (TVR) Registration with Director of Finance — Ordinance 25-50 (Bill 47 Draft 3). See the requirements checklist for fees, renewal, and official links.
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Hawaii County?
State Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT), Hawai'i County Transient Accommodations Tax (HCTAT), General Excise Tax (GET) with Hawai'i County Surcharge. Use the lodging-tax estimator on this page for a specific stay.

Official sources

Related coverage

In Hawaii

Cities in this county Hilo · Kailua-Kona

Informational summary of publicly available sources; not legal advice. Verify against the linked official sources.