Current Airbnb Laws and Regulations in Hawaii 

Honolulu County

Updates STR Laws to Distinguish Between Two Types of Rentals 

Short-term rentals have been regulated in Honolulu since 1989. Recently, Honolulu updated its Airbnb laws and regulations in order to further clarify the two different types of STRs for hosts. Ordinance 19-18 (Bill 89) sought to balance the benefits of STRs for hosts and transient occupants with the desire to keep residential neighborhoods from being overrun by STRs.  Ordinance 22-7 (Bill 41) limits rental bookings lasting fewer than 90 days to designated areas and is intended to help return housing inventory to both the long-term rental and for-sale marketplaces.

Main Updates to Ordinance 22-7: 

• Went into effect on October 23, 2022 
• Long-term rentals (consecutive 90 days or more) may be extended month to month 
• Owners or operators of dwelling units (or portions thereof) that prior to October 23, 2022, were being rented for periods of 30 consecutive days up to 89 consecutive days may continue to rent them, but on April 23, 2023, all such rentals must either cease renting, convert to long-term 90 days or more leases or have registered to become new legal transient accommodations. 
• Non-conforming use certificates (NUCs) must comply with the new annual renewal period after their existing renewal period expires 
• All STRs must provide registration or NUC number as well as tax map key on advertisements 
• Any advertisement of a rental or dwelling unit that is not a registered STR may not include daily or less than three-month rental rates and must include the statement: “this property may not be rented for less than 90 consecutive days.  Rental prices will not be reduced or adjusted based on the number of days the rental is actually used or occupied.” 
• Transient occupants must park on-site and not on public streets in the vicinity of the STR.

Further information about the ordinance can be found here.