City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Honolulu, HI
How Honolulu regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- Density or quota cap
- Primary-residence required
- Per-person or per-parcel limit
- Active enforcement
Based on: City & County of Honolulu (consolidated) — ROH Ch. 21 (Land Use Ordinance) §§21-5.730, 21-4.110-1, 21-4.110-2
Summary of the rule
PRIMARY: ROH §21-5.730(a), as amended by Ord 22-7 (Bill 41 (2021) CD2), permits NEW bed-and-breakfast homes and transient vacation units ONLY within three mapped resort-adjacent areas (Waikīkī Apartment Precinct mauka of Kūhiō Ave — Fig. 21-5.1; A-1/A-2 near Ko Olina — Fig. 21-5.2; A-1 near Turtle Bay — Fig. 21-5.3). Transient accommodation is otherwise zoned OUT of all residential/country/other apartment districts across Oʻahu; existing operators survive only under pre-1989 nonconforming-use certificates. Zoning-district exclusion of transient use = supply constraint (Restrictive).
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Active litigation / open question
Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance (HILSTRA) v. City & County of Honolulu (D. Haw. (Judge Derrick K. Watson); prelim. inj. Oct. 2022; summary judgment / permanent injunction Dec. 2023) — Enjoined the City from applying Ord 22-7's 30-to-90-day minimum-stay increase to dwellings already lawfully operating at a 30-day minimum, on HRS §46-4(a) prior-lawful-use grounds — carving grandfathered 30-day operators out of the 90-day rule. Does NOT disturb the §21-5.730 zoning-district SUPPLY exclusion (the rule this rating rests on); it narrows only the minimum-stay lengthening. Bill 62 (CO-25-02, 2025) re-enacted the 90-day minimum prospectively and faces the same challenge. Source ↗
Reported as fact only, reflecting the code as currently in effect — not legal advice, and not a prediction of the outcome. Verify current status before relying on it.
Last reviewed Sep 10, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Honolulu · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
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City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.