Bulletin - Hawaii County, HI News Today
Ordinance 25-50 took effect September 1, 2026 and Bill 175 waives violation fees for operators who register before the end of the year
Hawaii County Opens Mandatory Vacation Rental Registration, Gives Big Island Hosts Until December 31 to Comply
Ordinance 25-50 took effect September 1, 2026 and Bill 175 waives violation fees for operators who register before the end of the year
Photo from https://www.openspace.hawaiicounty.gov/
Every transient vacation rental on the Big Island must now be registered with Hawaii County as the registration mandate under Ordinance 25-50 takes effect starting September 1, 2026 and applies to any hosted or unhosted accommodation rented for less than 180 consecutive days. A grace period created by Bill 175 waives violation fees for operators who sign up by December 31, 2026.
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What Changed on September 1
Passed by the County Council in 2025, Ordinance 25-50 replaces the permit-based approach for hosted rentals with a registration system covering every short-term stay with the Planning Department opening the online portal, on September 1 as ran by compliance vendor Deckard Technologies. To register, owners submit a general excise tax license and a transient accommodations tax certificate for each property then carry the county registration number in all advertising with the registration renewing annually and lapsing 90 days after any change in ownership.
Operators holding a valid short-term vacation rental permit, nonconforming use certificate, or bed and breakfast approval issued before September 1 are automatically deemed registered.
Hawaii County (.gov)
Fees and Penalties
Registration costs $250 for a hosted rental and $500 for an unhosted rental with annual renewals of $100 and $250 respectively. The ordinance authorizes fines of up to $10,000 for failing to register and allows the county to revoke a registration for violations.
Hawaiʻi County's TVR Public Information Sheet
Official 2026 guide summarizing Hawaiʻi County’s transient vacation rental registration requirements, key rules, and compliance information.
Under the ordinance as adopted, Airbnb, Vrbo and similar marketplaces must register with the county for $1,000, file monthly reports listing every Big Island property with its registration number and tax map key, and remove non-compliant listings within 10 business days or face penalties of up to $10,000 per day.
The Grace Period
The registration deadline had already slipped twice from December 2025 to July 2026 and then to September 1 before Hamakua Councilwoman Heather Kimball introduced Bill 175 to soften the landing.
Approved 9-0 on September 2, the bill keeps the September 1 start date but waives violation fees for anyone who registers by December 31, 2026 which Kimball says should be enough time for "everybody that is operating a transient vacation rental" to be in the system by year end. She plans to follow up in October with a separate bill offering amnesty to operators who are still out of compliance.
Bill 147 Still Pending
Bill 147 would split the market into two named categories, bed and breakfasts for hosted rentals and short-term vacation rentals for unhosted ones and then treat them differently: qualifying B&Bs would no longer need a use permit while both categories would gain access to a wider set of zoning districts.
In exchange, operators would face new standards of operation including an occupancy cap of 12 adults or twice the bedroom count plus two, quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., and a dedicated enforcement fund paid for by fines that rise well above the current ordinance starting at $5,500 for a first violation, climbing to $7,500 for a second and $10,000 thereafter plus up to twice the highest advertised daily rate for each day a violation continues.
⦾ Effective date: September 1, 2026 (Ordinance 25-50); grace period through December 31, 2026 (Bill 175)
⦾ Registration required: Yes, annual, via the county's online portal; registration number must appear in all listings
⦾ Fees: $250 hosted / $500 unhosted initial; $100 / $250 annual renewal
⦾ Night cap: N/A
⦾ Penalty for non-compliance: Up to $10,000 for failing to register; registration may be revoked. Bill 147 would add fines of $5,500, $7,500 and $10,000 for successive violations
⦾ Platform responsibility: Yes, $1,000 county registration, monthly listing reports, removal of non-compliant listings within 10 business days, fines up to $10,000 per day
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