If you own, host or manage a short-term rental in Hawaiʻi, 2026 is the year the rules stopped being one story. Each county is moving on its own timeline. Here's where things stand, in plain words, with a source for every line. It's general information, not legal advice.

The state-level change: counties got the keys

In 2024 the Legislature passed Act 17, which lets counties phase out vacation rentals in their own zoning. Separately, the state Transient Accommodations Tax is 11% for 2026, up from 10.25%, under Act 96 (2025), the "Green Fee."

Oʻahu: the 30-day line, and a hard renewal date

Honolulu's planning department says it "will continue to enforce STRs as less than 30 consecutive days across the board." The older grandfathered rentals hold a Nonconforming Use Certificate (NUC). Those renew every year between Sept 1 and Oct 15. For 2026, the department said a renewal not approved by Oct 15, 2026 would expire the certificate automatically. That date has now passed (re-checked Oct 21, 2026 on the DPP site). New NUCs aren't being issued. Whether any one certificate actually renewed is something only Honolulu DPP can confirm for that property (unconfirmed here).

Hawaiʻi Island: registration is now required

Since Sept 1, 2026, hosted and unhosted vacation rentals on the Big Island have to register with the county. The grace period runs to Dec 31, 2026. The county info sheet lists fees ($250 to start and $100 a year for hosted rentals; $500 and $250 for unhosted) and warns of fines of $1,000 to $10,000 or more for operating unregistered. Bill 147, which would rename the categories and set operating rules, got a 4–5 committee vote against it on Oct 6 and now goes to the full Council. No date for that has been announced yet (unconfirmed).

Maui: the Bill 9 phase-out, and the rezoning escape hatch

Maui's Bill 9 phases out vacation rentals in apartment-zoned buildings: the last legal guest night is Dec 31, 2028 in West Maui and Dec 31, 2030 elsewhere, unless a building is rezoned to hotel use. In September, the Planning Commission recommended hotel zoning for 5 of 48 complexes it reviewed (a 6–2 vote on Sept 22), and on Sept 29 the Council voted 5–4 to send 32 more shoreline complexes into the same process. A Nov 24 deadline for the Commission's recommendations comes from a real-estate firm's summary, not a county document (unconfirmed).

Kauaʻi: strict renewals, by mail

Kauaʻi's planning department wants renewal packets mailed at least two months before your renewal date, certified with a return receipt. It no longer takes counter drop-offs, and it says a missed renewal brings a cease-and-desist and a notice of forfeiture. There's no grace period. We found no notice changing this after Hurricane Lowell; if the storm affected you, ask the department (unconfirmed).

What the four counties have in common

Every county now tells owners the same thing: know your status, and know your date. The penalties fall on people who were legal but missed a renewal or a registration window. Most of this is paperwork and timing, not new bans, and that's exactly the kind of thing a calendar reminder fixes.

If you want these updates as they happen, with "does this apply to me?" checks, deadline countdowns and calendar links, the free Hawaiʻi Rental Rules Weekly does just that.

---

Sources: Honolulu DPP · Short-Term Rentals and STR FAQ (re-checked Oct 13; Oʻahu deadline re-tensed Oct 21, 2026); Hawaiʻi County TVR info sheet; Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Sept 8 and Oct 7, 2026; Maui Now, Sept 30, 2026 and Dec 15, 2025; Star-Advertiser, Sept 23, 2026; Kauaʻi Planning · TVRs; DOTAX TA-1 instructions; Act 17 (2024).