Hawaii County tightens short-term rental rules ahead of July 2026 deadline

Hawaii County is moving from debate to enforcement: effective July 1, 2026, owners of qualifying vacation rentals must register with the county, and planners are warning that the rules now carry real compliance consequences for operators in places such as Hilo and Kailua-Kona.

The county’s Planning Department said the new registration requirement applies to vacation rental owners who fall under Hawaii County’s short-term vacation rental rules, first adopted in 2018 under Bill 108, Ordinance 2018-114. Department materials also say owners with nonconforming-use certificates must renew those approvals annually, keeping legal operators on a tighter administrative clock as the county updates its application packets and Rule 23 guidance.

The bigger shift is coming through Bill 147, a council-initiated ordinance that would amend Chapters 2 and 25 of the Hawaii County Code and create a new transient accommodations framework. Planning Department reports say the measure would clarify where bed-and-breakfasts and short-term vacation rentals are allowed, strengthen enforcement authority and penalties, and spell out responsible-management standards, good-neighbor policies, advertising rules and signage requirements. It would also establish an STVR enforcement fund supported by fees, fines and other money collected through transient-accommodation administration.

That push arrives as county and state officials try to rein in illegal short-term rentals in neighborhoods under housing pressure. A 2024 state law reinforced county zoning authority over transient accommodations, including the power to regulate their time, place, manner and duration and to phase them out in residential and agricultural zones. On the Big Island, that authority matters in areas where vacation rentals have long competed with local housing stock.

The county has also been gathering resident input. In April 2025, Hawaii County launched an online survey tied to an economic impact study required by County Council Resolution 556-24. Mayor Kimo Alameda said the data would help the county make informed and balanced decisions.

The local stakes are visible across the islands. Maui County approved a phase-out of more than 6,000 short-term rental units in 2025, a move framed as a way to push more homes into the long-term market. Hawaii County has not gone that far, but the July deadline and Bill 147 show a similar tightening trend that could reshape how vacation rentals operate from Hilo to Kailua-Kona and how much housing remains available for full-time residents.