Does Hawaii have county or municipal zoning?

Hawaii has no incorporated municipalities below the county level. All zoning is administered by the four county governments — City & County of Honolulu, and Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai Counties — layered under the state's four Land Use districts established by HRS Chapter 205.

Can I build an ADU (ohana unit) in Hawaii?

Yes. Act 39 (SB 3202), signed in 2024, requires all four counties to allow at least two ADUs per residentially zoned lot by December 31, 2026. Size, parking, and setback rules still vary by county.

What is the State Land Use Commission and how does it affect development?

The Land Use Commission classifies all land statewide into Urban, Rural, Agricultural, or Conservation districts under HRS Chapter 205. A parcel outside the Urban district generally cannot be developed at urban densities without a state district boundary amendment or special permit, regardless of county zoning.

How do I look up zoning for a parcel in Hawaii?

Each county's planning or permitting department publishes its own zoning map — Honolulu's Land Use Ordinance, Hawaii County's Zoning Code, Maui County Code Title 19, or Kauai's Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. State Land Use district boundaries are published separately by the state Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.

Hawaii · state zoning reference · Waitlist open

Hawaii zoning: how it works and what you can build

Hawaii runs a unique two-tier system where a statewide Land Use Commission classifies every parcel into one of four districts before any of the four counties' zoning even applies, and acute land scarcity is driving fast-moving statewide ADU mandates.

How zoning works in Hawaii

Hawaii has no incorporated municipalities below the county level. All land-use regulation is administered by the state's four counties — City & County of Honolulu, and Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai Counties — each of which zones within its own boundaries under authority granted by HRS Section 46-4. Layered on top of every county's zoning is the Hawaii Land Use Law (HRS Chapter 205), which places all land statewide into one of four districts — Urban, Rural, Agricultural, or Conservation — administered by the state Land Use Commission. A parcel outside the Urban district generally cannot be developed at urban densities regardless of what the county's own zoning code says, without a district boundary amendment or state special permit.

Hawaii's acute housing scarcity has made accessory dwelling units a major state policy lever in recent years. Act 39 (SB 3202), signed in 2024, requires counties to allow at least two ADUs per residentially zoned lot no later than December 31, 2026 — Honolulu has moved to implement this by redefining its historic "ohana dwelling" permit as an ADU. The reform leaves parking, setback, and size standards to each county, so ADU feasibility still varies significantly by jurisdiction.

For developers, the practical takeaway is that Hawaii feasibility analysis has to clear two independent gates: state Land Use district classification (and any pending boundary amendment) first, then county zoning and permitting second. Honolulu, with roughly a quarter of the state's land area but the large majority of its urban population, carries the most active TOD and infill activity tied to the city's rail line.

Who holds the zoning power

Land-use authority in Hawaii is delegated by statute, not assumed — these are the acts a zoning ordinance in Hawaii has to trace back to.

Hawaii Land Use Law Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 205: Establishes the State Land Use Commission and the four statewide land-use districts (Urban, Rural, Agricultural, Conservation) that all county zoning must conform to
County Zoning Authority Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 46-4: Grants the four counties zoning power within Urban, Rural, and Agricultural districts (Conservation districts remain under state Dept. of Land and Natural Resources control)
Act 39 (SB 3202) 2024 Session Laws of Hawaii: Requires all four counties to allow at least two ADUs per residentially zoned lot by December 31, 2026

Major cities and their codes

The enabling act sets the ceiling; the municipal code is what a project is actually reviewed against. The 7 largest Hawaii jurisdictions and the codes they administer:

Hawaii — municipal zoning codes
City	Zoning code
Honolulu	Land Use Ordinance (Chapter 21, Revised Ordinances of Honolulu) Hawaii's largest urban core; active TOD planning around the rail line and Honolulu's own ADU/ohana rules
Hilo	County of Hawaii Zoning Code Hawaii County's administrative seat, mixing urban core with agricultural-district edges
Kailua-Kona	County of Hawaii Zoning Code Resort/visitor-industry development pressure on the Big Island's west side
Kaneohe	Land Use Ordinance (Chapter 21, Revised Ordinances of Honolulu) Windward Oahu suburban market constrained by Conservation-district mountain boundaries
Kahului	Maui County Code, Title 19 (Zoning) Maui's commercial and logistics hub, adjacent to ongoing Lahaina rebuild activity
Kihei	Maui County Code, Title 19 (Zoning) Fast-growing South Maui resort and residential corridor
Lihue	Kauai County Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance Kauai's county seat and primary commercial center

Recent reforms

State-level changes override or preempt what a local ordinance says — these are the Hawaii reforms that move the numbers on a real site.

2024 Act 39 (SB 3202) Mandated counties allow at least two ADUs per residential lot by December 31, 2026

Parcel & GIS data

The Hawaii Statewide GIS Program (Office of Planning and Sustainable Development) hosts state Land Use district boundaries; parcel-level zoning data is published separately by each of the four counties' own GIS portals (e.g., Honolulu's Geoportal).

Parcel-level feasibility in Hawaii waits on that data being ingested and the ordinances encoded — the waitlist below is what sets the order.

Zoning by city

The statute sets who may zone; the city's own code sets what you can build. One guide per Hawaii city below, explaining the district codes that appear on its zoning map — 74 district codes across Hawaii so far.

Hawaii zoning — common questions

Does Hawaii have county or municipal zoning?: Hawaii has no incorporated municipalities below the county level. All zoning is administered by the four county governments — City & County of Honolulu, and Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai Counties — layered under the state's four Land Use districts established by HRS Chapter 205.
Can I build an ADU (ohana unit) in Hawaii?: Yes. Act 39 (SB 3202), signed in 2024, requires all four counties to allow at least two ADUs per residentially zoned lot by December 31, 2026. Size, parking, and setback rules still vary by county.
What is the State Land Use Commission and how does it affect development?: The Land Use Commission classifies all land statewide into Urban, Rural, Agricultural, or Conservation districts under HRS Chapter 205. A parcel outside the Urban district generally cannot be developed at urban densities without a state district boundary amendment or special permit, regardless of county zoning.
How do I look up zoning for a parcel in Hawaii?: Each county's planning or permitting department publishes its own zoning map — Honolulu's Land Use Ordinance, Hawaii County's Zoning Code, Maui County Code Title 19, or Kauai's Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. State Land Use district boundaries are published separately by the state Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.

Working in Hawaii? Get on the list.

The parcel layer lands in the order demand does. Illinois went first because that's where the deals were; the next state is decided by who tells us what they're trying to underwrite. Tell us where you're building and what you wanted to run — you'll hear from us when Hawaii opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

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Want to see the finished shape of this work? Illinois is live at parcel level — Illinois zoning and the 53-district Chicago reference.

Hawaii zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction and the statute as amended.